tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272Sun, 27 Sep 2009 15:34:21 +0000Assorted musings on pop culture, sports and other issues since 2002, but sporadically updated in recent years. Hopefully that changes soon.http://howawkward.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (JQ)Blogger788125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-4307576511702003869Thu, 09 Apr 2009 01:19:00 +00002009-04-08T22:37:25.259-04:00housespoilersfacebooktwitterThe art of time-shifting TV shows for later viewing goes back to the days of the VCR, and along with that comes the secondary art of avoiding what happens on said recorded program. This is usually the case with live sporting events, given that you might be able to hear a score in your normal activities (via the radio, some idle chatter while out and about, etc.). You're bound to be spoiled, no http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2009/04/spoil-this.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-2849897083283494044Tue, 07 Apr 2009 04:20:00 +00002009-04-07T00:43:04.906-04:00I picked UNC to win it all, but was nowhere near winning any money in my pools thanks to choosing too many upsets except for the ones that actually came through. I will say that the March Madness on Demand product was great for tonight because I could watch the game on my computer while catching my other Monday viewing options on the TV. With the way the game turned out, it was best to find otherhttp://howawkward.blogspot.com/2009/04/bah-hoopbug.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-8138285110724990338Mon, 23 Mar 2009 01:46:00 +00002009-03-22T22:59:47.163-04:00march madnessonline videoncaa tournamentLet's see, it's been more than a year since I've updated this blog, so I suppose it's a bit overdue for a new post. So let's have at it ...As mentioned around this time last year, the cult of Facebook and Twitter have both taken my attention away from blogging. Micro blog posts seem to work better there and driven me from longer thought pieces or decent blog entries. So be it.Anyways, not http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2009/03/back-on-horse-maybe.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-2840748778454831197Wed, 12 Mar 2008 04:32:00 +00002008-03-12T00:34:21.221-04:00Well, apparently Mary Ann likes the Mary Jane.http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-survive-three-hour-tour.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-7417307504710056563Fri, 07 Mar 2008 05:02:00 +00002008-03-07T00:15:28.935-05:00There are plenty of ways to waste time. But if you're a snarky and nitpicky pro wrestling fan, this video of botched moves and broadcasting mistakes (and the rest of the clips in the collection) will kill any entire afternoon. Enjoy.By the way, I actually have the MP3 of the music used in the video.http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2008/03/these-are-trained-professionals.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-4676588516429855955Thu, 06 Mar 2008 04:46:00 +00002008-03-06T00:08:01.216-05:00Couple of interesting changes in the local broadcast booths this season:-- Steve Stone is back in Chicago, although this time with the White Sox. In effect, he's pulling a reverse Harry Caray, who worked on the South Side before becoming a beloved Cubs announcer. Stone will be doing radio with Ed Farmer. I missed Stone doing Cubs games, but he had an interesting chemistry working with Steve http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2008/03/musical-microphones.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-4448546920387137957Thu, 06 Mar 2008 04:11:00 +00002008-03-05T23:24:28.710-05:00If you watch enough American Idol, you'll get enough of these bizarre Paula Abdul moments. But I just realized why some of those stumbling moments sound so familiar -- Larry Merchant has made it an art form for years on HBO's boxing coverage.http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2008/03/rambling-on-with-awkward-pauses.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-2232691696010403481Tue, 04 Mar 2008 01:42:00 +00002008-03-03T21:11:13.581-05:00Put it simply, if you really want to know more about the ABA, you're better off finding the HBO documentary Loose Balls, based on Terry Pluto's great book. Yeah, I saw Semi Pro over the weekend and was predictably disappointed. They did a good job of replicating the look of the uniforms and such, but everything else was pretty bland and uninspired.But probably the most disconcerting part of the http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2008/03/err-ball.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1264606264703873432Wed, 27 Feb 2008 03:22:00 +00002008-02-26T22:52:31.278-05:00For what it's worth, the NASCAR race restarted Monday afternoon, so I was still able to see that at work. However, it looks like Oscars ratings took a huge tumble, although I'm not surprised given the best picture nominees. It's tough to figure out where mainstream success, critical praise and pseudo-artsy snobbery meet, if at all, but I suppose this wasn't one of those years.Meanwhile, I http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2008/02/oscar-night-follow-up.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-5249571196142918026Mon, 25 Feb 2008 01:04:00 +00002008-02-25T08:38:41.209-05:00Well, here's one way to resurrect this blog -- keeping up with the Oscars live, like I've done a couple of times in the past. This year, I've actually seen three of the five nominated films, ticking off No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood in one afternoon last week. (At least I was able to understand one of the skits on last night's SNL because of that cramming.)8:12 p.m.:: And we're http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2008/02/oscar-blog-2008.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-6345879190406934466Thu, 27 Dec 2007 03:46:00 +00002007-12-26T22:46:15.414-05:00Yeah, it's been a while since I've posted here. Chalk it up to a part of being busy, another part of wasting time on Facebook and another part of being lazy/apathetic toward keeping this blog up.However, that may change in one way or another soon. That's because I'm moving up to the greater Bristol area next month to be part of the fantasy edit staff up at the Worldwide Leader. I guess I'm not http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2007/12/getting-fitted-for-mouse-ears.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-7458185571527249610Wed, 19 Sep 2007 02:52:00 +00002007-09-18T23:25:51.642-04:00Been a while since I've posted here, as I've been doing more stuff on Facebook. Among the brief highlights of recent days is finally going to the U.S. Open, seeing Superbad (which really could use this blog's title as a subtitle) and The King of Kong (nerds are nerds, they just wear different stripes).But a couple of incidents of celebrity or pseudo-celebrity really stick with me:-- First off, http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2007/09/power-of-celebrity.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-2430686929636860452Thu, 16 Aug 2007 03:25:00 +00002007-08-16T00:14:19.456-04:00It's always a hoot to watch MSG Classics on MSG Network, which is basically a bunch of old WWF matches from the Garden over the years. There's a huge sense of nostalgia -- for the old announcers, the old bad lighting, the evolution of TV graphics and of course the wrestling. Sure, there have been plenty of changes in the action over time. That's just how things have changed.But it's pretty sad tohttp://howawkward.blogspot.com/2007/08/garden-parties.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-3209983717617309366Wed, 15 Aug 2007 01:17:00 +00002007-08-14T21:28:43.646-04:00Just when I do a little obit scouring, now comes the passing of Phil Rizzuto, a fixture of my youth watching Yankees games and just New York area TV in general. His folksy way of calling games made him a beloved figure for Yankees fans for a number of years, and his Italian Catholic background made him a popular figure around my church and grammar school growing up. In fact, I remember signing a http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2007/08/holy-cow.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-7226368717316687817Tue, 14 Aug 2007 04:33:00 +00002007-08-14T00:47:59.225-04:00Here's an interesting set of three celebrity deaths:-- Merv Griffin. I still remember his talk show from long ago, not to mention Kramer turning his apartment into the old Merv Griffin Show set in one episode of Seinfeld. But his lasting legacy in the game show world is creating Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! Of course, only by adding those two factors together do you get the current outpouring http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2007/08/dead-pooling.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-2333540811405944529Tue, 14 Aug 2007 04:10:00 +00002007-08-14T00:32:56.230-04:00Despite the fact that I grew up in central New Jersey, it was only last night that I actually saw a concert at the PNC (nee Garden State) Arts Center -- the reasonably-sized outdoor-ish musical venue in the middle of the Garden State Parkway. In this case, I took in yet another Weird Al performance, fully embracing my nerd cred, knowing full well I'd fit in pretty well in this crowd. (It's hard http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2007/08/down-with-geekness.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1812506935169483345Sat, 11 Aug 2007 03:59:00 +00002007-08-12T00:44:46.102-04:00In the midst of last week's conventions, I was able to catch the first couple of episodes of GSN's Grand Slam -- a pretty interesting show featuring a number of game show legends plus a few other random names. I'm intrigued by the fact that the game tests all sorts of knowledge skills beyond just trivia. It's been fun to watch, although I will admit that having Dennis Miller as a smarmy studio http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2007/08/grand-slammed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-2824759273262061988Mon, 06 Aug 2007 03:49:00 +00002007-08-06T00:15:23.405-04:00I guess I could consider my Vegas/Miami conference doubleheader a success. I got some business done in Vegas for FSTA with limited gambling damage (although I didn't get a chance to play a poker tournament while in town), and did a fair share of both networking and sightseeing in Miami for AAJA. Plus, it was good to reconnect with all sorts of people at AAJA after missing the past couple of http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2007/08/conventional-wisdom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-4895438904439758492Wed, 01 Aug 2007 03:07:00 +00002007-07-31T23:21:33.406-04:00I'm now part of the insane travel week, starting with Vegas for the next 24 hours or so for one conference before heading to Miami for another one the rest of the week. I thought I was going to encounter luggage issues with the way Continental handles its online bag drop, but all was good since I could check into my hotel while waiting for my bags.Before I left, I did get to see The Simpsons http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2007/07/on-road.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-2633274418193800532Mon, 23 Jul 2007 00:46:00 +00002007-07-22T21:13:44.074-04:00For the second time in just a couple of months, I got to check out Fountains of Wayne in concert -- this time at the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park. Unfortunately, Bruce did not show up, but I did see a handful of acts beforehand, as this was part of a daylong festival -- including Mike Doughty, April Smith and Drive-By Truckers. It was definitely a nice bonus to get to see DBT http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2007/07/greetings-from-asbury-park.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-585412241071857802Sat, 21 Jul 2007 03:13:00 +00002007-07-22T21:23:31.604-04:00As I've mentioned before, I'm not eligible to play in the World Series of Pop Culture. However, I was eligible to play the Trivia Dome, an online component of the show run by VH1, and somehow won the last of their regular games and taking a nice cash prize in the process (although not anywhere close to the $250K that Twisted Misters won). I thought I was in good position to win $10K in the final http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2007/07/pop-life.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-4733486368081527128Fri, 20 Jul 2007 02:22:00 +00002007-07-19T22:37:46.726-04:00I've already noted before how amusing it was that early '90s infomercial legend Tom Vu is now a reasonably successful poker player. But at least now I know he's embraced his past as I saw ESPN showing clips of his old infomercials while he was part of the final table of one of the many tournaments this year.However, I am still intrigued a bit by the weird-looking film ESPN is using for this http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2007/07/come-to-my-seminar.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-7985225905228947363Tue, 17 Jul 2007 01:03:00 +00002007-07-16T21:33:21.236-04:00It's interesting that there are two World Series in the pop culture crosshairs right now. First off, the World Series of Pop Culture has me and the rest of our office entranced for a couple of weeks. I've played against the Twisted Misters team (the young NYU guys) and they're good, giving my team one heck of a fight at TRASHionals this year. Plus, one of the Andrews clobbered us on Jeremy's http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2007/07/edited-for-time-constraints.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1729175838876931622Fri, 13 Jul 2007 03:13:00 +00002007-07-12T23:36:21.898-04:00Well, sorta. WCBS-FM is back to its oldies format, replacing the controversial Jack format that I actually liked. I did wish I did hear the final minutes of the format, which involved cutting off Journey's "Don't Stop Believing," stealing from the final scene of The Sopranos.Both stations still lived on even when the format switch took place a couple of years ago, and something similar is http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2007/07/jack-off.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-4349776167959991079Mon, 09 Jul 2007 01:22:00 +00002007-07-08T21:29:38.304-04:00It's a bit early, but it's a good time for you to at least find it on your dial, but apparently next weekend's Jeopardy! rerun will be my second episode (don't click if you don't want to be spoiled). You'll definitely have to check your local listings if you really care to see me on TV again.http://howawkward.blogspot.com/2007/07/viewer-alert.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (JQ)1