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Steve Leventhal

Twenty Finalists Named for 2012 Olympic Basketball Squad

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from the YourSportsFan.com news wires…

The finalist consists of eight 2008 Olympic gold medalists, 10 members of the 2010 USA World Championship gold medal winning team, one national team player and one newcomer to the USA Basketball National Team were among the 20 finalists named today for the 2012 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team by USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo. The official 12-man U.S. Olympic team roster will be announced later this year.

The finalists for the 2012 USA team were: Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls);LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trail Blazers); Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks); Chauncey Billups (Los Angeles Clippers); Chris Bosh (Miami Heat); Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers); Tyson Chandler (New York Knicks); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder); Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies); Eric Gordon (New Orleans Hornets); Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers); Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic); Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers); LeBron James (Miami Heat); Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves); Lamar Odom (Dallas Mavericks); Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers); Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat); Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder); and Deron Williams (New Jersey Nets). Griffin was also officially added to the USA Basketball National Team roster.

The 2012 USA coaching staff is led by Duke University’s Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski, and serving as USA assistant coaches are Syracuse University’s Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim, New York Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni, and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan.

“The USA Basketball Men’s National Team program has come a long way as the elite list of players who are now part of our program shows. The selected finalists are a very, very talented group; the depth of the talent is extraordinary. This selection decision was as difficult of a challenge as I’ve faced since I took on the USA National Team program in 2005,” said Colangelo, who has served as the managing director of the USA Men’s National Team since 2005.

 

Springsteen Performs at NJ Benefit Concert

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To someone passing by the Paramount Theater in Asbury Park last night, the sight of fans standing in the freezing cold, desperately pleading with complete strangers for extra tickets probably seemed a little odd. After all, the biggest names on the bill for the Light of Day Parkinson’s benefit were David Bromberg, Garland Jeffreys and Southside Johnny. They’d probably be even more shocked to learn that the face value of tickets ranged from $47 to $381, and the show sold out in seconds.

The vintage Bruce Springsteen shirts that some of the fans were wearing would be a good clue as to what was going on. Anyone who lives in New Jersey knows that anytime any artist plays anywhere near Asbury Park rumors start flying that Bruce might show up. Usually he doesn’t – but the Light of Day is a different story. He’s been to nearly every one since the benefit shows began in 2000, and since the concerts got upgraded from tiny clubs to the Paramount Theater a few years ago, Springsteen’s presence has pretty much been a guarantee. Some fans actually travel in from Europe for the show. I imagine that they did not leave disappointed.

Movie Review – Contraband

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I was really looking forward to “Contraband” as I’m a big Mark Wahlberg fan. But I should have known that I might be let down due to the release date. Very few movies that come out early in the calendar year turn out to be winners. The movie studios usually rush to get out their hits in November and December and then the leftovers come out in January and February.

Certainly this movie has a really good cast with Wahlberg front and center. He is also joined on screen by Kate Beckinsale (who’s still hot,) Ben Foster, and Giovanni Ribisi. Foster and Ribisi seem to always play greasy bad guys, and once again live up to those standards. However the movie is so unrealistic that ultimately it was a big let down for me.

In essence “Contraband” is about a former top notch smuggler (Wahlberg) who is forced back into the business because his young brother in law gets in trouble and needs rescuing. Wahlberg then concocts a caper that is fraught with danger and is beyond illogical.

I know a lot of people will still like this movie no matter the impossible nature of the plot, but I just get so tired of everyone shooting at the good guys and never hitting them. In one scene Wahlberg and his buddy are down in Panama and bodies are dropping quicker then NBA players this season, yet Wahlberg goes unscathed. And then there’s another scene where Beckinsale is attacked, has her head bashed in, wrapped up in plastic and then thrown in wet cement, yet she also survives to ham up another scene moments later.
Great cast, but dumb movie. Reminded me of a team of all stars that had no direction. The L.A. Clippers come to mind.

I’ve already had movie fans attack me for my ultimate rating (see below,) because they are Wahlberg fans and just like the shoot ’em up aspect. And to those folks I say you’ll enjoy it, if that’s all you’re looking for. But the better Wahlberg movies not only have the violence aspect, but they are intelligent and well written. “The Fighter, “The Departed”, “Shooter”, “Four Brothers” and “The Italian Job” were all very well done across the board. Not so this movie. My rating – just an RBI single – a star and a half on “Contraband”.

Weekend Sports Report – 1/14/12

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with Les Grobstein, Steve Leventhal, and Alison Moran

…This week get an in depth look at all four NFL playoff games.  Plus a discussion of how the NBA season is coming along, a Blackhawks update, and some college basketball talk as Les tees off on Thad Matta of Ohio State. He also speaks his mind on the departed Mike Martz of the Bears, who continue to look for a new GM.

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Fringe Returns for Second Half of Season Four

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Those of you like me who are waiting with huge anticipation of the return of the absolute best program on TV, get your fix tonight.

Fringe, the JJ Abrams produced sci-fi mind bender returns to the Fox network tonight.

Michael Ausiello, formerly of Entertainment Weekly has his own TV blog now, and today has an interview with executive producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman to discuss tonight’s January debut.

TV Guide has an interview with Joshua Jackson (Peter Bishop.)

Velvet Underground at Odds with Warhol Foundation over Banana Cover Licensing

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In the story that first appeared in the New York Post, among other places, the Velvet Underground have filed suit in Federal Court claiming that the Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts illegally licensed its iconic banana cover from the VU’s debut album.  Even though the artwork was conceived by Andy Warhol, the Velvet’s claim that the foundation’s licensing the logo for use in some iPad products implies their endorsement of the product.

While Warhol never trademarked the banana, the band used it in its 1995 box set, and did license it to Absolut Vodka for a promotional campaign in 2001, and thus representing that it was synonymous with the Velvet Underground.

Read more in the New York Post

TV Fanatic Review – ABC’s “Body of Proof”

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The lines were drawn on this week’s Body of Proof, “Shades of Blue,” as it featured Megan’s team going up against the blue wall and Peter forced to choose sides.

Curtis may have been a bit paranoid but that didn’t make him wrong. The stakes were raised because this week’s murder victim was an undercover cop. That meant every detail of the case would be scrutinized and the stress levels rose considerably.

Dorf on Sports – 1/11/12

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with Andy Dorf and Fred Wallin

On this edition of Dorf on Sports Fred and Andy talk predominantly about the NFL playoffs. The guys break down the National Title Game. Also comedian Alex Reymundo stops by as he is in town this weekend at the Tempe Improv. They take calls from listeners as well. To be part of the show listen online at 1100kfnx.com Wednesday nights 9-10 AZ Time and call in at 866-536-1100.

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“They Said It” by Fred Pearlman

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Chris Del Conte, TCU AD, on his school’s exodus from the Mountain West to the Big East before being redirected to the Big 12 over the last 2 years: “We’re like the Israelites.  After 40 years we’re just finding our way.”

From the other calendar, these passages written by High School students in essays:

“Single-Parent families are those in which a child has only one biological parent.”

Happy Birthday to Rod Stewart

“Edgar Allen Poe and Samuel Taylor Coleridge were similar in that when they wrote, nothing was modern yet.”

“If I had a time machine and could speak to anyone, alive or dead, I would pick the live one.”

Happy Birthday to  Rod Stewart!

And this hot one from the Miami Press release, previewing tonight’s game against UNC: “Miami was picked to finish 5th in the ACC, Virginia was picked to win it.”

From nightlines, Jay Leno:  “According to a poll, 55% of college students approve of the job President Obama is doing.  That may change when they graduate and try to find a job.”

Finally, another ‘fact’ learned by one of those mass E-mail messages:“I no longer worry about my Soul because I have 363,214 Angels looking out for me, and St. Teresa’s Novenaha granted my every wish.”