Jules: Now Yolanda, we're not gonna do anything stupid, are we?
Yolanda: You don't hurt him.
Jules: Nobody's gonna hurt anybody. We're gonna be like three little Fonzies here. And what's Fonzie like? Come on Yolanda what's Fonzie like?
Yolanda: Cool?
Jules: What?
Yolanda: He's cool.
Jules: Correctamundo. And that's what we're gonna be. We're gonna be cool. Now Ringo, I'm gonna count to three, and when I count three, you let go of your gun, and sit your ass down. But when you do it, you do it cool. Ready? One ... two ... three.
Sometimes the biggest messages should be delivered with the smallest amount of words possible, which means I'm going to keep it short and sweet off the top this week.
Everyone, be cool.
We're getting ready to enter the single-most important stretch of decision-making of the new millennium for the Texas athletic department and now simply isn't the time for all elements of the program to be in bonkers mode. Yes, there will be more rumors in the air and on the message boards than a rumor mill should be capable of producing, so prepare for the inevitable.
Be cool.
The expectations for most is that there will be change within the Longhorn football program in the coming days and weeks, but if it's not done in a few hours or days, don't react like a child that can't wait until Christmas to open up the coolest present under the tree. When you take the emotion involved in wanting change out of the way for just a moment, you'll realize that this is a little more complicated situation than simply getting rid of a coach because he isn't winning enough.
For much of the last year, these parts have been overloaded with bonkers. Over-reaching boosters. President power struggles. Inappropriate conduct. E-mails with Jimmy Sexton's name in them being accessed in open records requests. It goes on and on and on, and it's time to stop.
From this moment forward, it's time for the Longhorn athletic department to act like a world-class outfit instead of constantly evoking memories of scenes from the movie Funny Farm. It's time to make important decisions with the purpose of making the right decisions and not winning petty in-fights that have robbed this place of a lot of dignity.
Since I know members of every layer of the athletic hierarchy will read this column, I'm speaking to all of you … Bill Powers … Steve Patterson … YOLO regents … Mack … Internet posters … all of you.
Just be cool.
Oh, and get it right.
.
No. 2 - Scattershooting on the Longhorns…
… Man, if you thought the Longhorns might end up in a situation where Mack could ride off into the sunset with a bowl win, the football bowl gods did him zero favors in putting his team in the Alamo Bowl against Oregon. I can't imagine a worse match-up for this team than the Ducks. That's just an awful, awful match-up.
… A little birdie told me over the weekend that junior defensive end Cedric Reed will seriously consider leaving early for the NFL if he receives a second-round grade when he gets his NFL draft report in the coming weeks and at this point he's hearing that he has a second-round grade that is rising.
… Jackson Jeffcoat might have earned the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Award on Saturday with a performance that left him as UT's leader in tackles (80), tackles or loss (21) and sacks (12). When you consider all of the injuries he's dealt with, he actually turned into one hell of an impact player in his career.
… Whether it was Duane Akina or Greg Robinson that made the call, the coaching staff's refusal to move its cornerbacks around really allowed the Bears to create exactly the match-ups they wanted to see in the passing game. Maybe the coaches don't feel like there's a difference between Duke Thomas and Carrington Byndom, but the Bears certainly did.
… Whoever the head coach is going to be in the 2014 season, he needs to go get a JUCO quarterback or a transfer.
… New drinking game: You have to take a shot every time a Longhorn player gets hurt in a game. You'll be hammered by halftime.
No. 3 - Can you keep a secret?
If Nick Saban comes to Texas, I'm fairly certain that the official confirmation isn't going to come from a website or a newspaper or even a national reporter like Pat Forde or Bruce Feldman.
Nope, if the greatest college football coach of all-time heads to Austin, it will have been the 10,000 or so real estate agents that populate the greater Austin area that have had the Saban scoop on straight lockdown since the Austin real estate agency broke the scoop that Terry Saban had been in town the first time … the second time … I think there might have even been a third time. Or was that the sushi restraint rumor this week?
No, that was not the responsibility of the real estate world (I think), just in case you were about to dismiss their street credentials.
Here's what I know … I can't count the number of people that have called, texted or emailed me news of various real estate dealings involving the Saban family in the last month, but I did go back on Sunday and count the number of emails I have received in the last week.
That would be 27. Not texts (a couple of more) or phone calls (a couple more), just straight emails to all of my various email accounts.
Twenty-seven. All of them with knowledge of a done real estate deal involving the Sabans.
The consensus is usually the same: The Saban's have closed on a fat-cat spread at Spanish Oaks and that it involves some sort of an LLC … oh … and it's super-secret. That's always my favorite part. If there are 10,000 real estate folks in the greater Austin-area, 9,999 of them have a source that has confirmed that the house deal is d-o-n-e, but none of them are supposed to be talking about the inside scoop that they have because it could ruin careers or friendships or lunch.
It's astonishing how something that is supposed to be so top-secret could possibly have so many people in the inside loop. If I was the buyer in the deal, I'd be incredulous over the lack of privacy, but as far as I can tell the loose lips of all brokers, sellers and contract people haven't slowed the deal down at all. I guess this isn't the same as doctor/client or lawyer/client privileges.
Perhaps everything is fair in love, war, home-shopping and head coaching hunting.
Just know this, I'm never telling anything confidential to anyone in the real estate business ever again because I'm pretty sure my information will be around town in less than 24 hours.
No. 4 - Bringing you back off the ledge in recruiting …
With change being the word of the month in the Orangebloods universe, I thought I might enlighten a few people about the current landscape in recruiting because I believe more than a few misperceptions exist.
Primarily, any notion that the Longhorns reside in some sort of recruiting disaster pool as they potentially enter a new era within the program or that Texas A&M is dominating things inside the Lone Star State at a truly next-level is misleading.
This isn't my opinion, there is actually plenty of data that actually supports the statement.
The truth about the current state of things inside the state of Texas is that A&M has more momentum right now, but it isn't dominating as much as it is simply leading. Meanwhile, the Longhorns haven't been awful on the recruiting trail in 2014 as much as they've just been very good instead of the all-time great dividends they were producing just a few seasons ago, which helps exaggerate what's actually happening from a big picture standpoint.
Let's take a look at the data from the 2010-11 recruiting classes as it relates to recruiting the best of the best players inside the state of Texas.
2010
LSR Rankings
Texas: Top 10 (7), Top 25 (15) and Top 50 (20)
Texas A&M: Top 10 (1), Top 25 (4) and Top 50 (5)
Oklahoma: Top 10 (1), Top 25 (2) and Top 50 (5)
Oklahoma State: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (0) and Top 50 (2)
Baylor: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (1) and Top 50 (2)
Other Big 12: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (1) and Top 50 (5)
Other SEC: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (1) and Top 50 (1)
Rivals Rankings
Texas: Top 10 (6), Top 25 (12) and Top 50 (19)
Texas A&M: Top 10 (2), Top 25 (4) and Top 50 (6)
Oklahoma: Top 10 (0) Top 25 (2) and Top 50 (6)
Oklahoma State: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (0) and Top 50 (2)
Baylor: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (1) and Top 50 (2)
Other Big 12: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (1) and Top 50 (4)
Other SEC: Top 10 (1), Top 25 (2) and Top 50 (5)
2011
LSR Rankings
Texas: Top 10 (7), Top 25 (14) and Top 50 (19)
Texas A&M: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (1) and Top 50 (5)
Oklahoma: Top 10 (2), Top 25 (2) and Top 50 (5)
Oklahoma State: Top 10 (1), Top 25 (2) and Top 50 (3)
Baylor: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (0) and Top 50 (0)
Other Big 12: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (5) and Top 50 (11)
Other SEC: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (1) and Top 50 (2)
Rivals Rankings
Texas: Top 10 (4), Top 25 (12) and Top 50 (16)
Texas A&M: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (0) and Top 50 (4)
Oklahoma: Top 10 (2) Top 25 (4) and Top 50 (8)
Oklahoma State: Top 10 (1), Top 25 (2) and Top 50 (2)
Baylor: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (0) and Top 50 (1)
Other Big 12: Top 10 (2), Top 25 (3) and Top 50 (8)
Other SEC: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (1) and Top 50 (3)
Coming off of back-to-back BCS game bids and a national championship game appearance in January of 2010, the Longhorns dominated the landscape in the Lone Star State like no school in the history of the modern era has ever come close to dominating. Whether you want to look at the Lone Star Recruiting rankings or the Rivals.com in-state rankings, it's a pretty clear case of what was occurring in recruiting.
Texas was getting half of the best of the best (Top 25) players in those two recruiting years and leaving everyone else to fight for the rest. In fact, the results from both classes reflect pretty well just how well the Longhorns did in those years, as it has been those two recruiting classes that have kept the Longhorns afloat in the last three seasons. Consider the players named from the Top 25 ranks in those two classes:
2010: Jackson Jeffcoat, Mike Davis, Trey Hopkins, Ashton Dorsey, Carrington Byndom and Dominic Espinosa,
2011: Malcolm Brown, Steve Edmond, Jaxon Shipley, Cedric Reed, Sedrick Flowers, Desmond Jackson, Quandre Diggs, Mykkele Thompson and David Ash
These classes didn't provide answers to all of the issues within the program, but nobody would look at the results from those two classes and suggest that recruiting didn't matter. Honestly, these two classes kept Mack from being moved out at least one year earlier because the Longhorns aren't likely an above .500 team in 2011-12 without major early contributions from them.
What's interesting is that the disaster of the 2010 season did not truly disrupt the make-up of the 2011 class and it really didn't hinder the Longhorns much in the 2012 class. Take a look at the 2012 numbers, which would have followed an 8-5 season on the 40 Acres.
2012
LSR Rankings
Texas: Top 10 (5), Top 25 (12) and Top 50 (18)
Texas A&M: Top 10 (2), Top 25 (4) and Top 50 (8)
Oklahoma: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (1) and Top 50 (3)
Oklahoma State: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (0) and Top 50 (1)
Baylor: Top 10 (1), Top 25 (2) and Top 50 (3)
Other Big 12: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (2) and Top 50 (6)
Other SEC: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (1) and Top 50 (5)
Rivals Rankings
Texas: Top 10 (5), Top 25 (10) and Top 50 (16)
Texas A&M: Top 10 (3), Top 25 (5) and Top 50 (9)
Oklahoma: Top 10 (0) Top 25 (2) and Top 50 (2)
Oklahoma State: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (0) and Top 50 (1)
Baylor: Top 10 (1), Top 25 (1) and Top 50 (3)
Other Big 12: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (3) and Top 50 (9)
Other SEC: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (1) and Top 50 (5)
More complete domination. Not even two substandard years changed the results in recruiting, as both the LSR and Rivals rankings had the Longhorns landing half of the top 10 and at least 10 of the Top 25 players in the state.
What did start to happen in this class was a climb for A&M and a decline by Oklahoma, as witnessed by the numbers each school delivered within the Top 50.
So, what happens next? What happens after a third straight disappointing season and a third straight loss to Oklahoma, which started the first real loud chorus of calls for Mack's job? I'm glad you asked.
2013
LSR Rankings
Texas: Top 10 (5), Top 25 (7) and Top 50 (10)
Texas A&M: Top 10 (2), Top 25 (5) and Top 50 (9)
Oklahoma: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (3) and Top 50 (3)
Oklahoma State: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (0) and Top 50 (1)
Baylor: Top 10 (1), Top 25 (2) and Top 50 (5)
Other Big 12: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (1) and Top 50 (4)
Other SEC: Top 10 (1), Top 25 (4) and Top 50 (4)
Rivals Rankings
Texas: Top 10 (3), Top 25 (7) and Top 50 (9)
Texas A&M: Top 10 (2), Top 25 (5) and Top 50 (13)
Oklahoma: Top 10 (1) Top 25 (3) and Top 50 (3)
Oklahoma State: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (0) and Top 50 (2)
Baylor: Top 10 (2), Top 25 (3) and Top 50 (3)
Other Big 12: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (0) and Top 50 (4)
Other SEC: Top 10 (1), Top 25 (2) and Top 50 (4)
The complete and total domination is gone, but things are still pretty good for the Longhorns no matter how you slice it. With either 3-5 signings from the Top 10 (depending on the perspective) and seven of the Top 25, the results for the Longhorns were down from the all-time run they were on the previous two seasons and they had to settle for simply having the best haul, albeit slightly, over Texas A&M. What really changed in this class is that the Aggies received its bump from joining the SEC and producing a great season on the field in 2012.
That was a year ago. Let's look at the current recruiting numbers for 2014, while acknowledging that the numbers from Rivals are limited to the top 27 until the complete revision of the 2014 rankings is complete later this week.
2014
LSR Rankings
Texas: Top 10 (1), Top 25 (5) and Top 50 (11)
Texas A&M: Top 10 (2), Top 25 (6) and Top 50 (9)
Oklahoma: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (0) and Top 50 (1)
Oklahoma State: Top 10 (0), Top 25 (0) and Top 50 (3)
Baylor: Top 10 (2), Top 25 (2) and Top 50 (4)
Other Big 12: Top 10 (1), Top 25 (2) and Top 50 (3)
Other SEC: Top 10 (2), Top 25 (2) and Top 50 (4)
Rivals Rankings
Texas: Top 10 (1) and Top 27 (6)
Texas A&M: Top 10 (2) and Top 27 (7)
Oklahoma: Top 10 (0) and Top 27 (1)
Oklahoma State: Top 10 (0) and Top 27 (1)
Baylor: Top 10 (1) and Top 27 (2)
Other Big 12: Top 10 (0) and Top 27 (0)
Other SEC: Top 10 (2) and Top 27 (2)
Obviously, the numbers are incomplete, but they do provide a snapshot of the downward trend that has continued for the second straight season. For the first time since 1998, the Longhorns do not have at least three commitments from the top 10, but at this point Texas A&M only has two commitments from players ranked in the top 10 from both sets of lists. When you expand things to the Top 25-27, the Longhorns have between 5-6, while the Aggies have between 6-7, depending on the rankings used.
Based on the here and now, there really isn't a dominating force inside the state unless you consider the Longhorns/Aggies as a combo.
The reality is that things aren't awful for the Longhorns, they just aren't great. After producing such incredible numbers in previous years, the Longhorns are still at a respectable place, even in the worst of times.
All this program needs is a momentum boost and recruiting isn't going to be a problem.
No. 5 - College football thoughts: From A-to-Z …
A: Awesomeness: You just knew that the final Saturday of the regular-season would not leave us disappointed. Upsets and devastation ruled the day, as upsets occurred and dreams were shattered throughout all of Saturday. The NFL is the NFL, but its regular-season cannot match the type of drama that college football can produce because each game is so important.
B: Bedlam: If ever there was a Bedlam game that was absolutely bedlam, it was this year's game. In one of his absolute finest coaching moments of his career, Bob Stoops took a Big 12 Championship completely out of the hands of the arch-rival Cowboys, while Blake Bell suddenly has a Case McCoy-type signature win over a key rival. That's a bad loss for Mike Gundy.
C: Cash Money: Don't you guys worry about the way it looks, my man Brooks took home $100,000 like a boss.
D: Dominance: 38, 30, 66, 56, 56, 27, 32, 37 and 63. What do these numbers have in common? Those are the margins of defeat in the nine games Florida State has played in since October 1. Wow.
E: Exposed: Ohio State hadn't faced a top-10 team during its impressive 24-game winning streak to open the Urban Meyer era and when it faced a real non-tomato can program on Saturday against Michigan State, nothing was the same for the Buckeyes. The truth of the matter is that if you eliminate the record, the Buckeyes are nothing close to a top-5 team.
F: Final Big 12 Power Poll:
1. Baylor
2. Oklahoma State
3. Texas
4. Oklahoma
5. Kansas State
6. Texas Tech
7. TCU
8. West Virginia
9. Iowa State
10. Kansas
G: Give it up to Bob: Even in a year when his quarterback play was only a notch better than what was seen in Austin, Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops was able to get to 10 wins and lead his team to a BCS Bowl. If Mack Brown's bad years were like Bob Stoops' bad years, we wouldn't be having these Nick Saban conversations.
H: Heisman Tracker (Final Edition) 1. Jameis Winston (Florida State) 3. Tra Mason (Auburn) 3. C.J. Mosley (Alabama)
I: If I had a vote that mattered … (previous week's ranking in parenthesis)
1. Florida State (1)
2. Auburn (3)
3. Alabama (4)
4. Michigan State (7)
5. Stanford (8)
6. Baylor (NR)
7. Missouri (6)
8. South Carolina (9)
9. Clemson (10)
10. Ohio State (2)
Dropped out: Oklahoma State (5)
J: Just can't catch a break: Former Longhorn Garrett Gilbert missed his second straight game due to injury, while his SMU Mustangs lost 17-13 to BCS-bound Central Florida in the frigid cold, which kept the Mustangs from getting to six wins and having the chance to go to a bowl game. Man, I never saw his career going the way that it did … never.
K: Keep an eye on these bowl games in the next month: Here are my top five bowl games that were finalized on Sunday:
1. January 6th (BCS Title): Auburn vs. Florida State
2. January 3rd (Orange): Ohio State vs. Clemson
3. January 1st (Rose): Michigan State vs. Stanford
4. January 3rd: (Cotton) Missouri vs. Oklahoma State
5. January 2nd (Sugar): Oklahoma vs. Alabama
L: Low Rent: Character is revealed in difficult times and it would appear that Urban Meyer still has a thing to learn about losing after skipping out on one of the Buckeyes' most important traditions … Carmen Ohio. Can you imagine Mack Brown forgetting to sign the Eyes of Texas? Come on, Urban … be better.
M: Mixed thoughts: On one hand, it probably wasn't the perfect time and place, but on the other hand I don't know if there is any such thing. When Heather Cox grilled Jameis Winston about the rape investigation on Saturday night following the ACC Championship game, a lot of folks cried foul and I totally get that. However, Winston hasn't faced anything but softballs in the last month and I give Cox credit for having the balls to ask the questions that a male dominated industry didn't have.
N: Nerds! After waiting 57 years, the Rice Owls are conference champions all by themselves after taking home the Conference USA championship with a 31-21 win over Marshall. Congrats to the Owls out there. Huge moment for the program.
O: Owning the Pac-12: Stanford pummeled Arizona State in the Pac-12 Championship game. As far as I was concerned, the Cardinal in a true underdog setting was the easiest pick of the week outside of the Florida State/Duke. The final score was 38-14, but it was never really that close, as the Cardinal just pulverized and outclassed the Sun Devils in their own crib.
P: Proof That You Can't Let Smart Kids Make Signs: In addition to winning a championship, the Rice Owns trolled ESPN cameras from the stands.
Q: Quote of the weekend: "It was my call. I wanted to put the ball in the hands of the best player."
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer when asked about his fourth and two call at the Michigan State 39-yard line with 5:46 remaining in the game, and the Buckeyes down by three points. Meyer dialed up a lead run for quarterback Braxton Miller and the Spartans snuffed it out with ease.
R: Real Talk: The Fiesta Bowl game for Baylor against Central Florida won't be anything less than a three-hour infomercial on Art Briles' program because the Bears are going to annihilate UCF. These are exactly the kind of teams the Bears throttle severely.
S: Smelling Roses: Michigan State hadn't been to the Rose Bowl since 1987, which means this year's Big 10-winning squad that is headed to Pasadena for New Year's Day just became a legendary lot for those that love all things East Lansing. The 2013 Spartans might not be a team for all-time in the spectrum of the entire sport, but they played nine Big 10 teams this year and beat them all by double-figures and for those in the state of Michigan, they'll be talking about this team for a long time.
T: Tweet of the Weekend: From @Barry_Switzer:
"Well wasn't " half a 100 " but close and a WIN"
U: U.G.L.Y. You ain't got no alibi, you ugly, hey! There's a lot of competition this week for this spot, but Northern Illinois' 20-point loss to Bowling Green with a BCS bid and possible Heisman invitation on the line for Jordan Lynch clearly earned them this recognition. Yikes.
V: Validated: Welcome to the Big Boy Table among college football coaches, Gus Malzahn. To take the Tigers from a winless SEC campaign to a national title game in one season is remarkable. Actually, it's one of the greatest coaching jobs in the history of the sport.
W: Wouldn't Have Believed It If I Hadn't Seen It: Nick. Saban. Smiles.
X: X-Factor: Auburn running back Tra Mason set an SEC Championship game record with 304 yards on 46 carries and not only was the force that carried the Tigers into the national title game, but he might have done enough to get himself to New York for the Heisman ceremonies after his sixth straight 100-yard game. Consider this about Carson … he rushed for 132 yards in Baton Rouge, 178 yards in College Station, 168 yards in Knoxville, 164 yards in the Iron Bowl and 304 on Saturday. When the Tigers needed him this year in the biggest games of the season, Carson hulked up and played big.
Y: YahooSports on the Scene: Wetzel believes Auburn should be No. 1
Z: Zoolander's Magnum Look of the Day: Talk about messing with karma… those poor couches in Columbus never had a chance late Saturday night.
No. 6 - Good, Bad and Ugly of Week 11 in the NFL
Good
… Derrick Johnson nearly pick-sixing Robert Griffin III in the first half of Kansas City's destruction of Washington.
… Troy Polamalu with the interception and acrobatic leap into the end zone for a pick-six. That will be on the Hall of Fame highlight reel.
… I'm in awe of Josh Gordon.
… Green Bay saving its season and giving Aaron Rodgers incentive to get his ass back on the field this week.
… Jacoby Jones taking it to the house with the Ravens' season on the line, down 19-15 to the Vikings with a shade over a minute remaining in the game. That city is going to build a statue for him some day.
… Cordarrelle Patterson one-upping Jones moments later with a 77-yard touchdown catch and run. That dude is going to be really good when the Vikings get a plus-quarterback.
… Joe Flacco winning the damn game anyways.
… The Patriots' ability to steal victory from the jaws of defeat week-in and week-out is pretty special. I'm not sure the Pats deserved that one, but they got it.
… Matt Prater set an NFL record on Sunday with a 64-yard field to end the first half in Denver.
… Denver defensive tackle Terrance Knighton's nickname is "Pot-roast".
… Peyton Manning might not be money every week in the cold, but he was out of this world good against a good Tennessee defense.
… The 49ers saved its season.
… The Saints. Period. Huge bounce-back game after what happened in Seattle.
Bad
… Antonio Brown stepping on the sideline while going in for a game-winning miracle touchdown. Tell me that didn't hurt.
… The pass interference call on Joe Haden that cost the Browns the game. You can't call a touch call on an All-Pro like that, you just can't. That was one of the biggest hometown calls of the year.
… No more Tom Dempsey clips from this moment forward.
… Wes Welker getting his second concussion this season and my fantasy team likely missing him in the semifinals of the fantasy playoffs next week.
Ugly
… The snow and ice is all fun and games until Adrian Peterson gets carried off on a cart.
… The Rob Gronkowsi hit. Damn.
… Sitting Andrew Luck in the fantasy playoffs this week after suffering through the last month with him. He was worth 40.24 points this week. Ugh.
No. 7 - Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
… Welcome back, Kobe.
… If you are a UFC fan and missed the absolute war between Mike Hunt and Big Foot Silva, do yourself a favor and go watch it right now because it was not only one of the fights of the year in the UFC, it was one of the best heavyweight battles I have ever seen. The fight was grueling, it was brutal, it was full of blood and I don't know that I can explain how either guy made it, but the fact that the judges scored the fight a majority draw and not one person from what I've seen has complained about the result speaks to the heart and damage each man delivered throughout the entire fight. It was the single best thing I watched all weekend.
.. Shogun Rua had the best knockout of the weekend. Yowzers. Forgive me if I never want to be caught with a punch like that for the rest of my life.
… Austin James Kirkland brutally, and I mean brutally, beat the mess out of Glen Tapia. You won't find many five-round fights that could be as brutal as the 16 minutes these men spent together, especially once Kirkland took control of the fight in the second round.
… If you ever find yourself having a tough time sleeping, do yourself a favor and put on any Guillermo Rigondeaux fight and you'll be asleep in minutes. I tried, I really tried late Saturday to make it through all 12 rounds and instead I was out cold in four rounds.
No. 8 - If I had a vote that mattered (Oscar-style) …
In my never-ending quest to soak up all of the awards contenders during the holiday season, I knocked out one of my must-see-movies of the year this week when I used the opportunity to see Dallas Buyer's Club while I was temporarily off the radio this week because of technical issues.
However, before we get to the part where I get into how seeing this movie impacts my updated rankings, let's sneak in a quick review of the movie:
100-Words of Less Movie Review: Dallas Buyer's Club (A-)
Matthew McConaughey's recent run of incredible work reaches the summit in the true-story of Texan Ron Woodruff, a hell-raising, womanizing rodeo man. McConaughey is out of this world good in what might be a role of a lifetime and the one that finally earns him the nomination that will officially stamp the resurgence of his career. Along with a brilliant Jared Leto, the acting in this film forever elevates it, even when there seems to be an occasional mini-lull. The movie is powerful at all times and while it might not be a "fun" watch, it is a must-one.
With the review out of the way, here are my updated Oscar rankings through December 8 (Note: The standings include only movies that I have actually seen.):
Best Picture (current leaderboard)
1. 12 Years a Slave
2. Captain Phillips
3. Gravity
4. Dallas Buyer's Club
5. Mud
Must-See-List: The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (Release Date: 12/25)
Best Actor (current leaderboard)
1. Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)
2 Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyer's Club)
3. Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips)
4. Forest Whitaker (Lee Daniels' The Butler)
5. Ty Sheridan (Mud)
Breakdown: Hanks and Whittaker were outstanding and might very earn nominations when it's all said and done, but McConaughey and Ejiofor are in a two-man battle at this point as far as I'm concerned, although I lean a little more towards Ejiofor at the moment.
Best Actress (current leaderboard)
1. Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
2. Sandra Bullock (Gravity)
Breakdown: Bullock was as good as she has ever been in Gravity, but Blanchett rocked my world with an incredibly nuanced master-class performance in Blue Jasmine.
Best Supporting Actor (current leaderboard)
1. Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave)
2. Jared Leto (Dallas Buyer's Club)
3. Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips)
4. Matthew McConaughey (Mud)
5. George Clooney (Gravity)
Breakdown: Leto moved into the No. 2 spot this week after my viewing of Dallas Buyer's Club, but Fassbender is still the leader in the clubhouse. McConaughey's performance in Mud will probably be overlooked because of his likely nomination in Dallas Buyer's Club.
Best Supporting Actress (current leaderboard)
1. Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave)
2. Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine)
3. Oprah Winfrey (Lee Daniels' The Butler)
4. Sarah Paulson (12 Years a Slave)
5. Jennifer Garner (Dallas Buyer's Club)
Breakdown: This might be Oprah's trophy to lose, but I didn't think she was nearly as powerful as Nyong'o … I mean … not even in the same ballpark.
Best Director (current leaderboard)
1. Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave)
2. Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity)
3. Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips)
4. Woody Allen (Blue Jasmine)
5. Jeff Nichols (Mud)
Breakdown: This might be the most competitive category of them all. McQueen is my clubhouse leader because he has directed the only truly special film I've seen this year, but I get the sense that this is going to be a real donnybrook when it's all said and done.
No. 9 - Pop goes the culture because the culture goes pop …
… Hottie of the Weekend: Taylor Swift Couldn't Kill Jessica Hart
… Oh Miley: A different kind of Christmas Special
… Grammys: The full list of nominations … it's Taylor Swift's world and we just live in it
… WTF Moment of the Weekend: James Franco … Dude...
… Say What: Ja Rule Responds To Gay Rumors, Denies Leaving His Wife For Prison Cellmate
… Back From the Dead: Family Guy to Brings Brian Back?
… Not a Feeling Good About This: Disney Takes Control of 'Indiana Jones' Franchise for Future Films
… Uh Oh, SpaghettiOs: This was a real thing Friday night
No. 10 - The List: ZZ Top (Listen Via Spotify)
After showering myself with the songs of Rihanna last week, the musical soul needed a little something different this week and three boys from Texas had exactly what I was looking for.
A few thoughts before I get down to the list…
a. It was fascinating to listen to the group find its way through the early 70s into the early 80's. In a way, they are a completely different band than the one they started out as.
b. I went into Eliminator thinking it was the group's best album and after listening to all of them this week, nothing changed my mind. In fact, the greatness of the album was reinforced in a big, big way. I'm not sure there was even a debate and the depth of really good to great songs on the album is represented on the list.
c. I suppose I never really paid attention, but I was shocked at how tough of a time the band had after Eliminator in terms of putting together good to great albums. I was expecting a little more oomph during the last 30 years, but the catalog isn't as loaded as you might think.
d. I would love to hear the group dedicate themselves to making a truly kickass blues record. No gimmicks. No synthesizers. Just three bad-ass blues musicians doing their thing.
Ok, let's get on with the list.
Last five songs out: Pincushion
, Got Me Under Pressure
10. I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide
One of two songs from the 1979 album Deguello that make the list
9. Jesus Just Left Chicago
Released in 1973 on the Tres Hombres album, this is the group's first great song in my mind.
8. I Need You Tonight
I think this is probably the most underrated song of theirs that I really like.
7. Gimmie All Your Lovin
Another song from the 1983 album Illiminator, which easily ranks as the greatest album the group ever produced.
6. Cheap Sunglasses
The best song off of the Deguello album and
5. Blue Jean Blues
I love it when this group just sticks to its early roots and plays bad-ass blues music. This is one of the group's very best.
4. Tush
Its place in the Dazed and Confused soundtrack assured that this track would be in the top five. One of the truly elite songs the group produced in the 70s.
3. Legs
I pretty much knew that I was a heterosexual male at the age of seven when the video to this song came out.
2. Sharp Dressed Man
One the sickest rock songs of the 1980s. Easily my favorite song off of Eliminator. How many guys have dressed to this song before going out on the town over the years?
1. LaGrange
Hard-charging guitar-magic. This is the song that we'll play the aliens in 100 years when they come in from outer space and want to hear some ZZ Top.
Archives List
Blues/Jazz: Listen via Spotify )
Classical: Listen via Spotify)
Country: Listen via Spotify )
Electronic: Listen Via Spotify
Funk: Listen Via Spotify (Part II ? After Hours))
Metal: Metallica
Pop: Listen via Spotify )
Punk: Listen via Spotify)
Random: My Number 1's on Spotify
Rap: Listen via Spotify),
R&B: Lionel Richie
Reggae: Listen via Spotify)
Rock: Listen via Spotify )
This post was edited on 12/9 9:53 AM by Ketchum
