Week: 08/09/2012-08/13/2012 (preseason)

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Imlevinit

To check out my record form 2011, click here: http://imlevinit.wordpress.com/ Also included are my observations from last year. If not, you can jump right into the picks. Enjoy!!

Thursday-August 09, 2012

Redskins @ Bills

Remember last year how great the Bills were at the beginning of the year? Well, apparently (coach Chan Gailey revealed that) Ryan Fitzpatrick played the final nine games with two cracked ribs. Prior to that injury, Fitzpatrick averaged 248 passing yards and two touchdowns for 15 fantasy points a game. He also completed 67.7 percent of his passes. After the injury he completed 58.2% of his passes. After the injury the Bills ended up going 1-8. Basically without Fitzpatrick the Bills are not very good. It’s the 1st preseason game, so he will probably only play a couple of series. Meanwhile, the Redskins draft RGIII with the 2nd overall pick (trading up from the 6th spot). What do you do after you draft your franchise QB? You draft another QB of course! That gives the Redskins: RG3, Rex Grossman, and Kirk Cousins. All will get a lot of playing time and try to show that they can put up numbers. Then, the fact that Mike Shanahan could make me a 1,000 yard rusher (this could be a slight exaggeration)  and it doesn’t matter who is in at RB. Finally, Shanahan is a very serious when it comes to winning posting a career 46-22 record in the preseason. Okay, it was a HUGE exaggeration that I would be a 1,000 yard rusher (I’d only reach 800).

Pick: Redskins -2

Saints @ Patriots

Speaking of being very serious.  This person HATES losing. He’d shove you into the table to blame you for losing in Jenga. He would give your child a Charley Horse and mock them if they couldn’t get out the Breadbasket out without making the buzzer go off. Of course,  I am talking about Bill Belichick. The mastermind behind Spygate feuds against the team that is currently feeling the repercussions of Bountygate. Now, do you remember the Patriots’ last game? Of course you do, they lost in the Superbowl. If you’re a Pats fan, it hurt you, could you imagine how much it destroyed Belichick? The destroyee will become the destroyer in this game. I believe the Saints wanted at least one win to show that they can win without some of their guys playing. This is a home game for the Patriots (read intro). Belichick will have a 29-22 preseason record after this game. How could you not take the over? If this was a regular season game the over/under would be 10 points higher. Patriots might score 35 points themselves.

Pick: Patriots -3 (Levin Lock)
Pick: Over 38 (Levin Love)

Ravens @ Falcons

I hate going against the Falcons in the dome, but this is the preseason. Mike Smith’s preseason record is 6-10. John Harbaugh is 11-5. How can you not take the

Pick: Ravens +2.5

Broncos @ Bears

I feel as if Brandon Marshall will score a TD. Da Bears have some good backups, who have had playing time. At the end of last season, Chicago start their third string RB and QB starting. Peyton Manning will take one hit, then be taken out. And we all have seen how bad teams are without Peyton. In what little action Jay Cutler will see, he will play well against his former team.

Pick: Bears -3

Steelers @ Eagles

This is the most somber game of the week. After the passing of Andy Reid’s son, the Eagles will not have their mind in the GAME (emphasis on game). After Tony Dungy lost his child in 2005, the Colts lost. Penn State lost their game after the scummy Sandusky scandal. Philadelphia 21-31 in preseason games since Andy Reid’s tenure started for the Eagles. The Steelers are 16-5 in the preseason since Mike Tomlin took over in Pittsburgh.

Pick: Steelers pick’em  (Levin Lock)
Pick: Under 35

Friday-August 10, 2012

Browns @ Lions

Great records in the preseason mean mean nothing, EXCEPT when gambling. Jim Schwartz has a 10-2 record since taking over for the Lions in 2009. You know what happened in 2008? The Lions went 0-16 in the regular season, but 4-0 in the preseason. The Browns are 5-11 in the preseason in that time frame. The Browns have two things going for them in this game: the Browns have 3 NFL worthy STARTING QBs on their roster  and something at the end of this video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM I am bias (read the intro), it makes me nervous, but it is in Detroit:

Pick: Lions -3 (Levin Love)

Bucs @ Phins

I am a Lions and Dolphins fan, which means both picks are going to be Levin Love plays or neither. I chose to go with both. The Buccaneers and Dolphins have played the last 4 years. The score has been 17-13, 10-7, 10-6,17-6. I think they score a max of 35 points (a team could win 18-17). Also, I have a hunch/am bias that the Dolphins pull this one out. That home field theory. Fun fact: This is the first year since 1993 that there will not be a baseball diamond on the field.

Pick: Under 33.5 (Levin Love)
Pick: Dolphins -2

Cards @ Chiefs

Whisenhunt is now 7-14 in the preseason. When Romeo Crennel took over for the Chiefs they went 2-1, beating two playoff bound teams. I believe Crennel will do whatever it takes to show the Chiefs faithful that what they saw last year was not a fluke.

Pick: Chiefs -2.5

Vikings @ 49ers

Is Alex Smith legit? It does not matter much for this game, considering the starters will not play much. Plus, San Francisco’s backups might be better than Minnesota’s starters. Jim Harbaugh also has that Belichick arrogance and amazing coaching skill.  No way he loses this game.

Pick:  49ers -2.5 (Levin Love)

Sunday-August 12, 2012

Rams @ Colts

This just falls into my first game home field theory. I think the Colts will be thrilled to be onto a new season (is anyone from last year not on Denver, let alone left?)

Pick: Colts +1.5

Monday-August 13, 2012

Cowboys @ Raiders

Read Sunday night analysis game.

Pick: Raiders pick’em

I am tempted to pick the Jaguars at -1.5 and the Panthers at -1, but I’ve picked too many already.

Levin Lock: 2

Levin Loves: 4

Other picks: 8

Total picks: 14

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How The Hunger Games Made Me Fall in Love With the Movies All Over Again

Posted on March 29, 2012 by PJFilm

There had been a point at the end of 2011 where I was very thankful for a lot of things, one of them being that we could be done with the mediocrity that was the year in movies. If the Hunger Games is any indication, then this summer will be chalk full of movies that are not only action packed, but heart felt and can register on an emotional level with the audience. I will go ahead and get the negatives of the film out of the way; the shaky camera at times made me feel like I was on a bad Six Flags ride and of course I wish it was more violent, because who doesn’t want to see fictional children’s blood everywhere? Apart from nitpicking specific details that were left out, mostly because I never expect a movie to live up to an awesome book, I am so very pleased to announce that this was one of my favorite page to screen adaptions ever….oh, where to begin.

For anyone who, for some reason doubted Jennifer Lawrence, she already has an Oscar nomination for Winters Bone, her performance as the heroine Katniss Everdeen is so impressive that she has already categorized herself as one of the most powerful female action characters to grace the screen. It therefore goes without saying that I would love to marry her…not joking. She captures the raw intensity of Katniss so well that I can no longer picture anyone else playing the part. Actually, the same can be said for the entire cast. Perhaps no one came under greater scrutiny than Josh Hutcherson, (The Kids Are Alright), who was chosen to play the baker’s son and fellow District 12 tribute, Peeta Mallark. I have watched interviews with Hutcherson and it is plainly obvious why he was chosen; he is just as personable in real life as he is in the movie, something the casting director obviously saw. He captures the warmth and kindness of the character so well that it makes me appreciate his acting even more.

Everyone in the film does such an incredible job that it reminds me of Harry Potter or The Lord of The Rings, where those characters were immortalized by the men and women playing them. Let’s be honest for a second, after seeing this movie, if you think anyone can play the blue haired, flamboyant,  whacky host Ceaser Flickerman like Stanley Tucci did, then you are mental. The same goes for Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Wes Bentley, Donald Sutherland, and especially Elizabeth Banks, who absolutely chews up scenery as Effie Trinkett. Even the young actors and actresses who played the tributes from rival districts, just looked exactly as I had thought. One who stands out in particular is Amandla Stenberg who plays the young Rue. She looks almost angelic and when she dies it deals you a blow, the same blow I felt reading the books. Another two worth mentioning are Alexander Ludwig as Cato and Isabelle Furman as Clove, both of whom captured the purely evil nature of those two career tributes so well, their blood lust simply insatiable.

The scenes in the Capital were outstanding and that means a lot because they could have very easily messed up the entire situation there by under or overdoing the colorfulness of its people and the intensity of those ruling it. Kudos to Donal Sutherland as President Snow who I always thought was such a cute old man until this film flipped that notion on its head. The arena itself was always well thought out and constructed, and the Cornucopia was not as cheesy as I had expected. Watching children kill each other is not easy, and even harder is showing that without showing too much blood. The way Gary Ross shoots the film is quite miraculous, managing to capture the brutality without turning it into a scene from Kill Bill

I must admit that for me not to have loved this movie would have meant it would have had to have been strictly awful. It was with great delight that I can say it is the best film I have seen in perhaps the last two years.  The scene where Rue dies, Katniss performs a burial, the riots in District 11 break out, and you see Katniss breaking down almost had me in tears. If you are having a hard time understanding how a twenty-three year old male could cry at this, go read the books and you will understand. All the credit goes to Director Gary Ross(Seabiscuit and Pleasantville), who not only managed to put his unique touch on the film, but managed to nail all the important parts of the film with flying colors.

I had not read a book series like The Hunger Games trilogy in years and I do not know if I will see a movie like the Hunger Games for a while. Here is hoping that The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises can live up to their respective hype just like this film did. Cheers to the cast and crew, my faith in cinema has been restored.

Acting:10/10 Enjoyment:9/10( Solely due to the shaky camera)  See it again: Seen it three times, may need to stop  Overall: A-

 

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Preseason Baseball Outlook

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Imlevinit

The three biggest story lines this year are as follows.

1)      How will the Marlins fair with so many head cases on their team?
 
When Logan “LoMo” Morrison is the 4th craziest person on your team, you know you’re in for a fun year. You have Ozzie Guillen, Carlos “Big Z” Zambrano, and Hanley. Plus, you have Gaby Sanchez who has already showed his close-lining abilities about a year and half ago. Too bad they missed out on their chance to get Papelbon, but I know Manny is looking for a team. Could the Marlins also get Elijah Dukes and trade for Nyger, while convincing John Rocker to come out of retirement?  Plus, I know Terrell Owns is looking for a job. This team could be one of the most exciting (not necessarily the best, just exciting) teams in baseball.
 

2)      Will Prince and Miggy have more combined HRs, RBIs, and Runs than combined weight?
 

This would be a very interesting bet. These two guys seem like they could stack up against the Detroit LIONS d-line! This past year they combined for 499 HRs, RBIs, and Runs and combined to weigh 515 pounds. How will they do playing together will be very interesting. Without Victor Martinez it hurts their lineup a lot, but I have always thought that Ryan Raburn has always been an underrated utility guy. He is a good hitter when he gets a chance and plays nearly every position. With more starts this year he could be in line for some more runs with these two behemoths hitting behind him.
 

3)      Is Theo Epstein really the Harry Potter of the baseball world because all he does is break curses?
 

Theo Epstein broke the 86 year old “Curse of the Bambino” in 2004 by helping the Boston Red Sox win their first World Series since 1918. He is now the President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs, a team that has not won a World Series since 1908. Could you imagine if he breaks the “Curse of the Billy Goat” and wins a World Series with the Cubbies? I don’t think anyone could fathom what would occur, but Electronic Arts would probably sign him to a deal to have him appear on the Madden cover!

 
There are so many great story lines this coming season from the Texas Rangers signing Japanese phenom Yu Darvish to Albert Pujols going to the Angels and everything in between. When the Mets are probably the worst team in their division you know it could be the start of a fascinating year.

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02/05/12 SUPERBOWL!

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Imlevinit

Season:
Levin Locks: 50-23-1
Bowl Season: 32-18-0 (5-7 on Bowl Locks-16-8 on over/under-16-10 picking spreads)
NCAAF regular season: 123-89-2
NFL: 133-108-4
NFL playoffs: 10-8-0 (5-2 with game spread 4-6 over/unders: 0-1 halftime spread)
Pro Bowl: 2-0
Total: 300-223-6

First, we must start out with the obligatory Tim Tebow joke: http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/our-country/nfl-hero-tim-tebow-sings-stage-brad-paisley-041853079.html. The way he sings though maybe we should call him Tim Tebowie? http://tv.yahoo.com/news/video-jimmy-fallon-performs-tebowie-152800345.html#rr0112

I DID IT!!! That was my 316th Tim Tebow joke! He’d be proud.

529 football picks later, we are down to one last game for the next next 6 months.

We get a rematch of a regular season game and the 2007 Superbowl. Can you believe it? Well you better because it is happening whether you want it to or not (aka EVERYONE who is not a Patriots or Giants fan). The Patriots haven’t won a Superbowl since Spygate. Do we now have a new controversy? (playclockgate) http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/why-billy-cundiff-rushed-fateful-field-goal-try-013101618.html This controversy has turned Cundiff into the next Ray Finkle (don’t worry, Ray Lewis is already the crazy one on your team). http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=f90_d8VUOUE

Giants vs. Patriots Round 2 (FIGHT!!)

Fun Fact: Giants (2-2) and Broncos (6-4) are only teams that do not have losing record vs Patriots since 2001 (Tom Brady’s 1st year as starting QB). Brady beat the Broncos to get here and now it is his chance to give the Gmen a losing record. The X factor in this game will be Gronkowski. If he plays (and is healthy, which this part doesn’t seem too likely), then the Patriots will cover. Luckily, there is a Y and Z factor in the form of Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez (another fun fact: This time last year Hernandez and I were both at UConn). The Patriots run two tight end sets 70% of the time and against a two TE set the Giants recorded only 4 sacks all year (2.8% sack rate-the second lowest of any team). Since 2006 including the playoffs, the Patriots are 21-1 vs NFC opponents NOT named the NY Giants (1-2 vs Giants). This is 9th Superbowl rematch of a reg season game decided by a TD or less. 7 of previous 8 were won by team that lost 1st game.We all know how well Eli and Brady play in the 4th quarter, so maybe a first half play is the right play. Let’s dive into the numbers. In the first half this year the Patriots averaged 15.4 ppg, while the Giants averaged 11.3 ppg. The Patriot defense gives up 10.4 ppg, while the Giant defense gives up 10.8 ppg. This comes out to be a total of 24.25 average for the first half. The Giants won the regular season matchup 24-20. The score at halftime of that game: 0-0. For the season, the Patriots averaged 32.3 ppg (34 ppg in the playoffs) and the Giants averaged 25 ppg (27 ppg in the playoffs). The Giant defense has given up 23.1 ppg (13 ppg in the playoffs) and the Patriots gave up 20.7 ppg (15 ppg in the playoffs). According to the number the Giants will score 22.9 and the Patriots will score 25.6. This is right along the line of my prediction. I believe the final score will be 26-24 with New England hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. Is it possible that Gostkowski gets injured in the 4th quarter, leaving New England without a kicker. But, what a coincidence that the most clutch kicker player of all-time Adam Vinatieri (current kicker for the Indianapolis Colts) is at the game. Josh McDaniels was allowed to join the Patriots during the playoffs, so why can’t Vinatieri join in the middle of the game and kick the game winning (again). Now if only there was another Manning around in case Eli gets hurt…

Pick: Under 27
Pick: Under 55

I like the first half play more, but I thought from the time that the over/under came out that 55 was too high.

If you want to know who Peyton will be rooting for, then watch this video (Peyton left a voicemail for Brady): http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FYrugFlmKYA

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Thank Goodness For Middle-Aged Action Stars

Posted on January 26, 2012 by PJFilm

I was going to write a blog about how disappointed I am with all of the Oscar Nominations, but they are pathetic and every knows it so, I will move on. Instead I would like to dedicate a blog to a man, who in my mind, has become perhaps the best action star we have going. No I am not talking about Tom Cruise, Matt Damon, or even Denzel Washington. Although, is it not ironic that the best action stars in Hollywood are over forty? And thank goodness because when we do get an action film with a young twenty something, Taylor Lautner In Abduction for instance, it tends to, how do I put this eloquently…..blowwwwwwww. No, the best action star in my mind is a sixty year old Academy Award Nominated  Irishman. I of course am talking Liam Neeson, who over the last several years, has been a part of some of the most action filled and buzz worthy films made.

Just to run down the list a bit he has starred in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, K:19 The Widowmaker, Gangs Of New York, Kingdom Of Heaven, Batman Begins, Clash Of the Titans, The A Team,  and he voiced Aslan the freaking Lion in The Chronicles of Narnia Franchise. On top of that he has done the voice work on the Batman Begins and Fallout 3 video games, while also doing a guest spot on the Simpson’s.  With that list alone he is one cool son of a gun, but we have not even talked about why he is the coolest, most bad ass, do not dare call him a senior citizen on the planet.

When I first completed watching the motion Picture Taken I remembering going to myself…..Holy $#@%. The man literally told a bunch of socially reprehensible gentleman that alright, you have kidnapped my daughter, plan on selling her into sex slavery, okay well understand that I am now going to find you, and kill you.  For some reason when he told the kidnappers that I got chills down my spine, little did I know, the man was about to execute one of the most bad ass rampages in film history. With everything at his disposal he hops a plane and proceeds to just kill any and everything that gets in his way. He disposes of a room full of men with such ease and creativity that my initial reaction was to drop my jaw and laugh; after all this was the same man who played a loving father in Love Actually… my have times changed. Perhaps what is most appealing about this movie is his no second thought approach to killing everyone; normally there seems to be that conflict among heroes….but he was no ordinary hero. Getting his daughter back was all he was worried about and shooting several people in the face, electrocuting a bad guy, and even shooting a former friends wife was just all part of the plan.

The fact that he was in his late fifties doing this is what made it all so much more awesome. He might have some wrinkles but Liam Neeson is a giant man and honestly looks like he could toss some people around; but the way he does it, flawlessly, moving like someone half is age is truly awesome to watch.  The hand to hand combat that is executed in the film is very, well it is just fun to watch and Neeson kicks ass. It really does make you ask the question, what would you do if someone you loved was taken from you….in Liam Neeson’s you kill everybody.  With his Film The Grey coming to theaters Friday, where Neeson is one of six men stranded in Alaska after being in a plane crash, oh and then being hunted by carnivorous wolves, I cannot wait to watch this man strap miniature bottles on his knuckles and do hand to hand combat  with full grown animals. I would feel honored and a bit frightened to just shake this mans hand and tell him, “Thank you for keeping action movies cool.” Not every great actor can do Schindlers list, Love Actually, and then Taken all in  a career….thankfully Liam Neeson does it flawlessly, and for that I would just like to say thank you sir.

 

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Why So Serious, Twitter?

Posted on January 26, 2012 by GreekGreg

This morning I quickly scrolled through last nights tweets, as is custom when I have no real desire to physically remove myself from bed. Anyways, I found out that one of the people I followed retweeted a bunch of old tweets rapid fire. They are all hysterical so I decided to copy and paste them to my blog. I felt like just about all of these are hilarious and I obviously can’t take any credit for them, but still wanted to share them. The person who retweeted all of these is Brandon McCarthy (BMcCarthy32). He’s a pitcher for the A’s and arguably the funniest athlete on Twitter. Before sharing all of these he tweeted this: “I woke up from a ‘nap’ at 1am and am in a mood. So now I’m going to RT very funny people. This will be awful for those who hate laughing.” He did not disappoint.

@MrsRupertPupkin:

The first time sleeping over a guy’s place is always awkward ’cause I have to explain who I am, how I got in, & why I’m crying.

Still haven’t found the perfect photo of my cat for my locket. Then again, they’re all pretty purrrfect HAHAHAHAHA i’m so alone HAHAHAHAHAHA

Pretty cute how my ex is trying to get me back by posting photos of him & his wife on their honeymoon.

@robfee:

Don’t ever let 50 Cent take you to “The Candy Shop”. These lollipops taste like wieners. :(

My niece said she COLORED a picture for me. Uh you mean you Africian Americaned a picture? Geez Confederate General, when’s the klan rally?

Thanks iPhone autocorrect, I’m sure my dad wanted to know that I miss going on our weekend fisting trips.

@sweet_toof:

With a stolen credit card, who WOULDN’T go straight to Wendy’s to get 2 Double Stacks and a small Sprite? So thanks for asking for ID, lady

If I see a tampon wrapper in the garbage of someone’s bathroom, I come out and yell “Someone’s on their PERIOOOD!!” in my best Oprah voice.

Sorry about all the typos lately, gays.

@rodney_at_large:

My 5 year old just texted me from her iPhone that she needs more toilet paper but I refuse to spoil that girl.

Just read that California leads the nation in depression cases and adultery. What a sad state of affairs.

@DamienFahey:

If the car behind me honks while waiting for my parking space at the mall, I turn off my car and visibly start a rubik’s cube.

When someone tells me, “Great question.” I never hear their answer because I’m busy congratulating myself for asking such a great question.

@NickSchug:

A guy walks into a bar. He disappears for 11 years. Miss you Dad!

You’d think that after 4 movies they’d realize that the missions aren’t impossible they’re just really really super hard.

If I worked at a pizza place I would use pepperoni to spell out “Marry me?” on pizzas all the time just to make things awkward for couples.


@Molly_Kats:

My car remote died. I had to insert my key into the lock like some kind of goddamn animal

@badbanana:

I bet sometimes Captain America has to call Captain Canada for help, like if he needs to convert miles into kilometers.

Too bad Norman Rockwell isn’t around today to paint scenes of people looking down at their smartphones.

@robdelaney:

Just told my Secret Santa I murdered a plumber in Vermont in 1995 or is that not how it works?

Be careful; you are a can of soda. RT @Pepsi: Biking along the beach to catch the sunset. Doin’ summer nights right!

A neck tattoo used to say “Watch out, motherfucker.” Now it says “I’d love to read you a poem about my vegan bicycle!”

You’ve really got to hand it to short people. Because they often can’t reach it.

@donni:

“RETWEET! RETWEET!” -Twitter addict desperate for attention, or a platoon leader with an adorable speech impediment.

My pessimism has never failed me, but I’m sure someday it will.

@Hadzilla:

If I had a dollar for every time my dad questioned my sexuality, I could afford an island. And a fabulous collection of designer handbags.

I don’t go to the mailbox because that’s where the Responsibility Monster lives.

@HotEats:

“We want rights! We want rights!” – Chinese protesters sick of living in the dark

Somewhere out there, a neurotic chicken wants to cross the road but is paralyzed by the knowledge that everyone will question his motives

@shelbyfero:

“You give me one leather jacket, I invest it, then give you back TWO leather jackets!” – Fonzi Scheme

Just once I want to see “Soooo many animals harmed in the making of this movie. Like, SO many. An insane amount. Too many, probably.”

Just realized all books are different combinations of the same 26 letters. This is bullshit!

@markleggett:

Salvador Dali once said “I don’t do drugs. I am drugs.” That’s the kind of shit people say when they’re on drugs.

So if you fuck up a parallel park twice in front of strangers, you just drive to another city and start your life over?

To prevent a stiff neck and shoulders, slowly rise from your office chair every ten minutes and shriek “THIS ISN’T THE LIFE I DREAMED OF!”

@JordyHamrick:

“911, what’s your emergency?” “There is a large ape on I-80 driving a go-kart and throwing turtle shells and bananas at two Italians!”

Most men born in the 1800′s would roll over in their grave if they saw how much we allow women to talk nowadays.

@senderblock23:

Was gonna have sex tonight but instead my car broke down so now I’m an atheist.

It takes more muscles to frown than to smile. I’ve learned to hate fun because I want a super buff face.

@PaulyPeligroso:

I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by driving away right after I rear-ended someone.

So a homophobe, a rapist, and a black guy walk into a bar, and everyone’s like “Can I have your autograph, Kobe?”

Beyonce is pregnant, but it’s not Jay-Z’s. It’s Destiny’s child.

@ZoopSoul:

When cashing a big check at the bank, ask for it in $1 bills in a bank bag. Then put on a mustache, monocle, & get back in line to deposit.

@Kyle_Lippert:

I’m guessing that the end of Cowboys Vs. Aliens is predictable. Tony romo buckles under the pressure & throws an interception to the aliens
I’m giving up listening to Rick Astley for Lent. Who am I kidding? Rick, I’m never gonna give you up.

@AaronFullerton:

I bet the frankincense guy was all like, “Let’s put the three items in one gift basket and the basket can be from all of us.”

I wonder if, every now and then, Tom Hanks calls Rita Wilson just “Wilson”, and then there’s a long, weird, silent moment between them.

I just took the “What Downtown Abbey Character Are You?” Quiz and got “You know there’s a football game on, right?”

Categories: Random Thoughts | Leave a comment

Picks! Week: 01/22/12 (Conference Championships)

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Imlevinit

All of my past picks: http://imlevinit.wordpress.com/2012/01/22/week-012212-conference-championships/

 

Season:
Levin Locks: 50-23-1
Bowl Season: 32-18-0 (5-7 on Bowl Locks-16-8 on over/under-16-10 picking spreads)
NCAAF regular season: 123-89-2
NFL: 133-108-4
NFL playoffs: 9-6-0 (5-1 with game spread 3-5 over/unders)
Total: 297-221-6

If the Ravens could have gotten into the endzone with 4 chances from the one yard line I would have went 7-0 last week, instead I will settle for 5-2. The last two weeks I have not made a pick for one game, but the way I had leaned was correct. I will continue that streak this week.

Speaking of streaks, I must keep the streak alive for Tim Tebow jokes. Now that he has tons of time hopefully he can solve the one problem that Jay-Z doesn’t have: http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201201/tim-tebow-admits-bad-habit

The Superbowl has a lot of potential great stories. A 2000 rematch of the Giants vs. Ravens. The worst QB Superbowl match up since that 2000 Superbowl in an Alex Smith vs. Joe Flacco game. An all Harbaugh Superbowl in which all of Superbowl week will consist of the Harbaugh family saying, “screw everyone, we’re just better than you.” Then, there is the chance of one of the best defenses in the NFL vs. one of the best offenses in the NFL. And of course the rematch of 2007 in which David Tyree became a household name.

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots

The Pats have not beaten a single team the whole year with a record that is above .500 (lost to the Giants at home 24-20 and at the Steelers 25-17). While the Ravens only faced one team the entire year that had a top 10 offense (a 34-14 loss on the road to the Chargers on a Sunday night). This is a rematch of 2 years ago when the Ravens were able to go into Gillette Stadium and pulled off the upset. The Patriots averaged 32.3 ppg at home, while giving up 18.2 ppg. The Ravens averaged 19.9 ppg on the road and give up 18.4 ppg on the road. The Ravens lost 4 games all year. All four of those games came on the road (Titans, Jaguars, Seahawks, Chargers). I think we all can agree that none of those teams (maybe even combined) aren’t the Patriots. They lost these games by an average of 10.75 per games, scoring an average of 12.75 in these games and giving up 23.5 in these games. Based off of these stats we can give the Ravens 17 and the Patriots 25. The way you beat the Patriots is by throwing the ball. The way the Ravens win is by running the ball. I think the Patriots take this 33-23.

Pick: Patriots -7
Pick: Over 50

New York Giants @ San Francisco 49ers

I could not watch the Giants/Packers game because I was working, so I did not see how much the Gmen dominated. I know the Packers had a lot of dropped passes, but I still think the death of Joe Philbin’s son affected the team similar to the death of the Oklahoma State’s women’s basketball coach dying. Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State that week and the next week Iowa State lost at Oklahoma by 20. Obviously, the Giants are a good team (unlike Iowa State) and are clicking at the right time, but I think the Giants could still possibly be let down. The Giants give up 26.1 ppg on the road and score 27.2 ppg. The 49ers averaged 28.6 ppg at home and gave up 13.2 ppg at home. When these teams played earlier in the year the 49ers won at home 27-20 (which is coincidentally the average of each teams points given up and points scored). I’ll take the San Fran to win this one 20-17 (49ers are a 2.5 point favorite). The weather forecast calls for rain, which will hugely favored the 49ers defense and offense.

Pick: Under 41

 

Two games being played 2,686 miles apart will meet in two weeks in the middle in Indianapolis.

With the passing of Joe Paterno, we all should remember that at the end of the day football is just a sport that helps distract us with the hardships of life. Here is a great article by Rick Reilly about someone who always remembers this: http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7455943/believing-tim-tebow

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Critics…You Are Making Me ANGRY!

Posted on January 18, 2012 by PJFilm

I cannot do it anymore. I, for the life of me, cannot do it. Over the last several months I have endured the nomination process for several different awards shows and I finally lost it. First and foremost, I always wonder what these critics see that makes them think certain films or performances are more enjoyable than others. Before I start naming culprits, and boy will I, it needs to be mentioned that this is one of the most pathetic Oscar years I can recount in quite some time, especially in the Best Actor Category…CLOONEY! The people who are allowed to vote in ceremonies like the Golden Globes, Critics Choice, and even The Oscars really need to start reconsidering what films are actually great. So with that first rant out of the way allow me to voice some of my gripes.

SO yes, I do understand that Viola Davis and Meryl Streep are two absolutely worthy contenders for Best Actress, I fully understand that and quite frankly I think Viola Davis absolutely deserves the award; so does Meryl but sitting through  The Iron Lady was painful to sit through. What really disturbs me here is that for some reason Rooney Mara’s portrayal of heroine Lisbeth from the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is not even getting mentioned. ARE YOU KIDDING ME HOLLYWOOD?! What are you afraid to nominate her because James Bond was in it? Her performance required so much excruciating effort and dedication that not to reward her is sickening. Oh my God, oh no there is violence in the film and she is a bad ass and kills people and dresses different…OH NO! Nominate her for God sakes because honestly her performance blew the other two away.

To stay on point with the Dragon Tattoo, how in gods name did Trent Reznor’s score for best song lose to the one from The Artist?! Umm excuse me Hollywood foreign press, was it too loud for you? Do you need someone to hold your hand? Look, I was one of the forty-seven people who actually saw The Artist and the hype needs to be squashed now; that song was average and the film itself was mediocre, although I do think  French star Jean Dujardin could become a crossover hit as I did enjoy his performance. That being said, this movie will be forgotten in a few months and all will be right with the world.

As usual the actors nominated for Best Supporting actors give far better performances than those who are nominated for Best Actor. I have absolutely no qualms with Christopher Plummer winning for Beginners because in that role he somehow relayed a man who was alive, depressed, and happy, having lived for decades as a closeted homosexual in order to be with his wife. If Albert Brooks wins for Drive or God forbid Patton Oswalt for Young Adult then I would do cartwheels. The same goes for the Best Supporting Actress where if Octavia Spencer does not win for The Help, then I will riot in some way shape or form.

Ah yes, now we have come to my favorite category this year for all of the wrong reasons, Best Actor. Hey congratulations George Clooney on getting nominated. Let me be honest with everyone, The Descendents was not a bad film, Clooney is the man and Alexander Payne is a great director. What everyone who “loves” this movie is guilty of is just that, loving it. It is one of the most average, bland, glad-I-saw-it-only-once films of all time. The same goes for The Artist which I probably would have loved if I grew up in the twenties; but I didn’t, so I don’t so sue me.  What I would give to have Michael Fassbender win for Shame, otherwise known as the only exciting role among the three in which the actor explores his dark side. If he and Rooney Mara both by some act of God won, I think half of Hollywood would implode.

Best picture? Who cares. Why? Because if its between The Descendants and The Artist then who cares. The sad truth is that Midnight In Paris, The Help, Moneyball, Hugo, and even 50/50 were all better films. Actually so were Drive and The Ides of March, but hey, I think everyone already got the picture.

Just bring on The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises…aka films that actually have a pulse.

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Picks! Week: 01/14/12-01/15/12 (Divisional Round)

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Imlevinit

My record can be seen here (only pay attention to my football picking skills, trust me, it’s for the better): http://imlevinit.wordpress.com/2012/01/14/week-011412-011512/

 

Saints @ 49ers

Offense vs. Defense. The Saints offense is hotter than the offspring of a habanero and wasabi (would you like to try a hababi?) scoring 34.8 ppg this season, but only 27.2 ppg on the road.  The 49ers defense on the other hand has given up a total of 14.3 ppg, but only 10.9 at home. The 49ers defense gives up 1.1 passing TDs per game at home (I knew how great the 49ers run defense plays and how non-existence the Saints running game is displayed, so that part of play seems to be null-actually, surprisingly, the Saints are 6th in rush offense!!). San Fran averages 23.8 ppg and 27.6 ppg at home. New Orleans gives up 21.6 ppg and 24.5 ppg on the road. The Saints have lost only 3 games all year (they were all on the road with two of those three against the Rams and Bucs). 4 of the Saints 5 wins on the road have been won by an average of 6 points. Similar teams to the Saints that the 49ers have played have scored an average of 22.25ppg and have given up  25 ppg to the 49ers. I think Brees throws for 2 TDs to WRs and they get one more from Sproles (special teams, running, catching?). NOT  having to travel to the cold whether will favor the Saints. Defense wins championships and in a do or die situation this is essentially a championship game.  With that said, the 49ers pull off the upset 26-24.

Pick: 49ers +4
Pick: Over 46.5

Tebows @ Patriots

Where do I start with this game?  The Dark Side vs. the Heavenly Body or how about we just go with a simple comparison of Brady vs. Tebow: http://www.buzzfeed.com/bryanbrunsell/tom-brady-vs-tim-tebow-45ct I think I have to give the edge to Brady because he looks like John Travolta in Pulp Fiction while sliding down the slide at the pool party, but he is also cheating (Patriots never do that!) by taking up more than half of the picture in “whispering to each other” photo. Stats in this game seem to be irrelevant (if you don’t believe me watch what Tebow will be watching before the game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=niHSWYE-PLI). This game could be 41-17 in favor of the Patriots or 27-24 in favor of the “most famous white broncos, since OJ’s vehicle” or anything in between. I’ve always said that you can’t pick against the Patriots nor can you pick against Tebow. Let’s just say with 3 minutes left in the 16th overtime Tebow throws a game winning 55 yard bomb…to himself. And the world decides that the Superbowl trophy will no longer be known as the Lombardi trophy, but will be called the Timothy Trophy. Tebow has actually been better on the road, but with that said, the stat that will convince me to take the Patriots is that teams coming off a victory against the Steelers are 0-4 against the spread. The MOST amazing stat is that since 1978 more than half the games in the divisional round have been won by double digits. My prediction will be Patriots 34 Broncos 20 (lean toward Pats covering 13.5).  Tebow is 6-0 when he doesn’t turn the ball over. I think we all know will the game plan will be. Speaking of knowing the game plan please don’t even get me started on how ridiculous it is that the Patriots were able to hire Josh McDaniels (the guy who drafted Tim Tebow) in the middle of the playoffs.

Pick: Over 50

Texans @ Ravens

Wade Phillips led defenses have given up 18.55 ppg on the road, while the TJ Yates led offense has averaged 18.67 ppg on the road (against the Jags, Bengals, and Colts). The Ravens give up 14.9 ppg at home and score 27.4 ppg at home. This is what I wrote the last time these teams played earlier in the year when Baltimore won at home 29-14: “The Ravens are such a frustrating team. Every game you think they should do well, they don’t and every game that should be close they dominate, but Schaub is slightly injured (he’ll still play), no Andre 3000 (Derrick Mason won’t help this week), Mario Williams is out for the year and the Ravens are fresh off of a bye. This screams impending disaster for the Texans. Pick: Ravens -8 Pick: Under 45.” Well, this time instead of an injured Schaub there is a healthy third string QB, Andre 3000 will play, but will still be hampered by injury. The Ravens will (again) be fresh off of a bye. First though for these defensively minded teams is to expect a low scoring game, but surprisingly, the numbers say that the over play is the right play. I’ll take the Ravens 27-17.

Pick: Ravens -7.5
Pick: Over 36

Giants @ Packers

In my opinion, the most important story line of this game is not being talked about: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/giants/mccarthy_tragedy_won_affect_playoff_6rNfV6DVpUlqWHHrNnleiL. You could say this will motivate the Packers like Favre’s father passing away and motivated him to throw for 399 yards and four touchdowns a day later. So, if this motivates the Pack (and the game is at Lambeau, a place that Favre never seemed to lose, especially when it got cold), then the Pack could win by 20+ points, but I do not believe it will. The Gmen are clicking on all cylinders right now (would you like some more hababi?). The Packers are averaging 40.1 ppg at home! The Giants score 26 ppg on the road. The Packers give up 21.4 ppg at home. The Giants give up 26.9 ppg on the road. Remember, the Gmen are getting healthierish (again this means: some players that were hurt at the beginning of the year are healthy now, but some remain out, while there continues to be lingering injuries for many of the players).Fitting true to the “Eli Excitement” this game remains close, but I believe the Packers are still too much as they win 32-30. Last time these teams played (December 4th) I liked the over better than the Giants play, but this time I like the Giants play more than the over play.

Pick: Giants +7.5
Pick: Over 53

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The Ten Must See Of 2012

Posted on January 10, 2012 by PJFilm

I have never in my life been more excited for a year of film than I am for 2012. There are so many big budget, loud, obnoxious, colorful, and wonderful looking films to look forward to that it makes me nervous how much money I am going to spend. Narrowing it down to to a mere ten was insanely difficult, but I have formed a list of  films that strike me as must see.

1.) The Dark Knight Rises: This was a difficult decision between this film and my number two, and yet, no it wasn’t. To me the The Dark Knight was worthy enough to have been nominated for Best Picture, and of course the late, great Heath Ledger won  Best Supporting Actor.  With that being said, this film, and I cannot believe I am about to say this, looks even better. All the credit goes to Christopher Nolan who may not necessarily be the best director (all though he is one), but is certainly the best visionary going today.  Everything about the trailer for this film was about, the action, the sounds, oh and Tom Hardy as Bane…epic.  I had chills by the end of this trailer and I will see this film at least twice its opening weekend. To put it mildly I have never been more excited to see a film…EVER.

2.) The Avengers: Ever since I was a little kid the heroes of the Marvel comic books and the story of the Avengers was always one of my favorites. To see those childhood memories of a Super Hero team come from the television to the theater unleashes every geeky thought I have.  What makes this even better is that they have assembled a group of actors who are so perfect for their roles that it gets as close to these characters coming to life as they could be. Look out for Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye to make his presence felt as the newest superhero in the Marvel Verse. This film will break all kinds of box office records and I cannot wait to see the group of characters that show up to this film. Oh and Scarlett Johanson wears really tight clothes.

3.) The Hunger Games:  I ran through the books during our Summer Blackout in about two days and was amazed at the universe that had been created and destroyed on the pages before me. To be honest I was hesitant when Jennifer Lawrence was cast in the lead role of Katniss Everdeen, not because she is not wildly talented, which she is, but because she is a natural blond. That was until I saw the first stills of the film. And oh my God, was my mind changed in about three seconds; she looked exactly as I had pictured the character when I read the book and all of a sudden I became very excited. Next to The Dark Knight Rises it is the best trailer of the year and for those who think this is a kids story…you are so, so wrong. This film has the feeling of something special and this will be my third in a row that I MUST see opening night.

4.) Django Unchained: Basically it all boils down to one fact, Quentin Tarantino. There is nothing he can and will do that I won’t pay to see and lets just say that any film that he directs that also stars Christoph Waltz, Jaime Foxx, and Leonardo Dicaprio AS THE BAD GUY is going to be on my list.

5.) G.I. Joe: Retaliation: In my opinion this trailer has the best song in any trailer so far this year; I have seen very few trailers that utilize an actual song so well but this one nails it perfectly (Seven Nation Army). This movie looks far bigger and badder than the first one and the Rock being cast as RoadBlock is actually really awesome. These films are all about the Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow fights and by the end of the trailer if your adrenaline isn’t flowing even a little bit, I am sure there is something wrong with you. Already better than it’s predecessor, I personally cannot wait for what looks to be a worthy sequel.

6.) The Hobbit: I mean come on this is a given. For anyone who did not like the original LOTR films, well I will try my hardest not to address you.  One of the best formulas in Hollywood is Tolkein works of literature + Peter Jackson bringing them to the screen + Ian Mckellen as Gandalf and boom…you have a sure fire hit on your hands. But Peter Jackson doesn’t do hits, he does epics, and The Hobbit seems to be another guaranteed smash. Welcome back to the movie world New Zealand, how we missed you.

7.) Skyfall: Daniel Craig is an absolutely badass James Bond. Here is hoping that this movie is far and away better than Quantum of Solace. Casting Ralph Fiennes and Javier Bardem does not hurt, nor does having Sam Raimi direct.

8.) Snow White and the Huntsmen: You know what, Kristen Stewart  actually looks like she is about to kick some ass. Thank God because if I have to deal with those Twilight films for much longer, I will cry. This take on the legendary fairy tale looks dark, violent, and very very cool. Add in the fact that Chris Hemsworth is the Huntsman and Charlize Theron, clearly stealing scenes, is the Evil Queen, and this film could be one of the years big surprises.

9.) The Dictator: I do not want to give anything away, just please go watch the trailer and if you don’t laugh, then this film will absolutely offend you.

10.) Prometheus: If this film sucks with the cast assembled and the premise that made him famous, then Ridley Scott should retire and never do another film again. I am not quite sure what to make of it but here is hoping that there is some true horror in this film.

Now there are some very major films coming out that did not quite make the list. Some, like Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, The Great Gatsby, This is 40, and Les Miserables look awesome and I will absolutely see them. Some, like MIB:3 are must sees, but need to prove that they are more than great looking trailers. And then there are those like The Amazing Spiderman, The Bourne reboot, Rock of Ages, and especially Lincoln, that while probably solid films, have so far not peaked any real interest.  Even with that being said, all of these films combined make it very easy to recognize that this has to be the year that America returns to the movies. Oh and go see Underworld Awakening, which did not make the list since it comes out in a week.

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