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Song Of The Day – “State Trooper” by Bruce Springsteen

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Nebraska

The guttural howls that he lets out at the end of this psychobilly classic, mixed with its pleading paranoid lyrics conjures the mood of pure dread…and with Bruce Springsteen’s sixth album, it was all about mood.

Hot on the heels of “The River,” his biggest album and the tour to support it, Bruce Springsteen found himself back at home in Colts Neck, NJ with some restless free time on his hand and lots of bummer songs rattling around his brain.

A change of work habits was in the air as well. Up to this point, Springsteen fleshed out his song in the studio with the band waiting around, resulting in albums that took years to complete. For “Nebraska,” Springsteen called upon his engineer friend Mike Batlin to set up a primitive home studio to create demos of his new set of songs to be presented to the band in complete form.

Springsteen worked fast at home and over a period of few days at the end of 1981, he captured fourteen new songs on his very basic Tascam 4-Track cassette recorder including early versions of “Born In The USA,” “Pink Cadillac” and “Working On The Highway” (then titled “Child Bride”) that wouldn’t see the light of day for several more years.

Springsteen proceeded to carry the cassette around with him for several weeks before making a copy and sending it to his manager, Jon Landau, who was blown away by not only the darkness and depth of the material, but the change of musical direction he heard.

Upon reconvening in the studio with the E Streeters to work up full band versions of the songs, it became evident that they couldn’t capture the dark, desolate feeling that the songs needed. So a remixed version of the “demo” cassette that Springsteen recorded at home literally became his next record.

Once the bigwigs at Columbia Records got it in their head that they weren’t going to be releasing another full-band blockbuster Springsteen record as the follow-up to “The River,” they devised a laid-back promotional campaign to suit the material.

Springsteen fans were confused with the release of “Nebraska” in 1982, but the critics were rightfully blown away by its austere grandeur, hailing the record as one of his best…which indeed, it still is.

Song Of The Day – “State Trooper” by Bruce Springsteen

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The guttural howls that he lets out at the end of this psychobilly classic mixed with its pleading paranoid lyrics conjures the mood of pure dread…and with Bruce Springsteen’s sixth album, it was all about mood. Hot on the heels of “The River,” his biggest album yet, after several years on the road with The E Street Band touring to support it, Springsteen found himself back at home in Colts Neck, NJ with some restless free time on his hand and lots of bummer songs rattling around his brain. A change of work habits was in the air as well. Rather than writing songs in the studio with the band waiting around as he had done up to this point resulting in albums taking years to complete, Springsteen called upon his engineer friend Mike Batlin to set up a primitive home studio so he could create demos of his new set of songs to be presented to the band in the studio. Springsteen worked fast at home and over a period of few days at the end of 1981, he captured fourteen new songs on his very basic Tascam 4-Track cassette recorder including early versions of “Born In The USA,” “Pink Cadillac” and “Working On The Highway” (then titled “Child Bride”) that wouldn’t see the light of day for several more years. Springsteen proceeded to carry the cassette around with him for several weeks before making a copy and sending it to his manager, Jon Landau, who was blown away by not only the darkness and depth of the material, but the change of musical direction he heard. Upon reconvening in the studio with the E Streeters to work up full band versions of the songs, it became evident that the band couldn’t capture the dark, desolate feeling that these songs needed. So a remixed version of the “demo” cassette that Springsteen recorded at home literally became his next record. Once the bigwigs at Columbia Records got it in their head that they weren’t going to be releasing another blockbuster Springsteen record as the follow-up to “The River,” they devised a laid-back promotional campaign to suit the material. Springsteen fans were confused with the release of “Nebraska” in 1982, but the critics were rightfully blown away by its austere grandeur, hailing the record as one of his best…which it, indeed, still is.

Cats refuse to go away, defeat Nebraska on homecoming

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The Northwestern Wildcats seemed down and out Saturday against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Faced with the daunting task of a 99-yard touchdown drive with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, it seemed the Wildcats were going to fall short yet again at home.

Against all odds, quarterback Clayton Thorson led his team on that march. He kept his offense on schedule and remained calm in one of the most improbable drives of his career. He found J.J. Jefferson for the touchdown and the extra point tied it up.

“That’s just absolutely spectacular,” coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “You know, 99-and-a-half yard drive with no timeouts to get us into overtime, you know, I think that was a huge huge huge huge confidence builder for our offense.”

But to those who thought the story of this game couldn’t get better, Drew Luckenbaugh stepped in.

Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald: SRN Broadcasting

The Wildcats’ defense did its part in overtime and the offense moved the ball into field goal range. The sophomore kicker from Spring Grove, Pennsylvania had a chance to leave his name in the Northwestern history books. One swing of the leg sent the ball sailing 37 yards in the air and through the uprights to secure the Cats’ third Big Ten victory of the season.

It was also his first collegiate start at placekicker.

“It still hasn’t really hit,” he said afterward.

Charlie Kuhbander, NU’s regular placekicker, was ruled out for this week’s homecoming game, meaning it was Luckenbaugh’s time to step up. Despite missing a field goal in the third quarter, he delivered when it mattered most.

“I was just, yeah, a little bit excited to go out there for the first one. But, you know, as I was growing up we had a saying, ‘Fix it and forget it.’ So, you know, I realized what I did and then just moved on and fixed it for the next one.”

Nebraska jumped out to a touchdown lead on their opening possession of the game, but the scoring came to a halt as the two teams sized each other up. Northwestern broke through with 7:41 left in the second quarter as Thorson found Flynn Nagel in the end zone to knot it at seven apiece. The Cats later scored on a strip sack of Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez to take the lead. The half ended with a Nebraska touchdown but a missed extra point kept the momentum with the Wildcats.

We’ve seen that story, however, and it has ended with Northwestern snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Such seemed to be the case on Saturday, as the Cornhuskers went ahead by 14 to start the fourth quarter. This time, however, the script had changed.

“We realized that was the issue the first few weeks,” Thorson said of their early second-half woes. “And so we just addressed that, and address that in practice and move on. But the guys are playing real resilient right now.”

Thorson, looking for the end zone, threw a pick at the Nebraska three to start the half, and a 97-yard touchdown drive from the

Northwestern kicker Drew Luckenbaugh: SRN Broadcasting

Huskers ensued. NU got an interception on Nebraska’s next drive but missed the field goal. The Huskers responded with a touchdown and suddenly they had a 28-14 lead to begin the fourth. That “Here we go again” feeling began to creep in.

 

But as Thorson said, the Cats remained resilient. Thorson, under pressure, found Nagel, who made a contested catch and broke free for a 61-yard touchdown to make it a one-possession game with 12:31 left in the fourth. A Nebraska field goal with 5:41 remaining, however, put Nebraska back up by 10.

Of course, it wasn’t enough, as the cats scored 10 unanswered and won in overtime.

“Great team win. We found a way to get it done. Obviously, we put ourselves, I think, in a hole to start it,” Fitzgerald said. “To have the guys be resilient and find a way to make some just huge plays down the stretch in all three phases.”

The story could not have been written without the efforts of Thorson and Nagel, though. Thorson threw for 455 yards and three touchdowns, while Nagel had 12 receptions for 220 yards and two touchdowns. The duo linked up three times for 52 yards on the final drive.

“He was playing out of his mind,” Thorson said of Nagel. “On that last drive there, when he ran kind of a little wheel route, he turned to me and said, ‘Throw me the ball. This is why I’m here.'”

“They came up with a saying, Justin Jackson the Ball Carrier, around here. Right now it’s Clayton Thorson the thrower,” Fitzgerald said.

The Wildcats travel to New Jersey to face the lowly Rutgers Scarlett Knights next week before a showdown with the Wisconsin Badgers at Ryan Field on October 27th.

“The [students] that, you know, are thinking about coming out in a couple weeks, we’re going to need them. And I hope they come out and I hope they enjoy it.”

Twitter: @crbevins11 @radiomogul

Hear audio from Pat Fitzgerald, Clayton Thorson and Drew Luckenbaugh:

2018 Big Ten Football Preview-Day One

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The annual Big Ten Media Days took place in Chicago this week, and accompanying it came many storylines. With the first day in the books, it’s time to take a look at the teams who met with the press from day one of this year’s gathering.

Nebraska

New head coach Scott Frost has made it his mission to resurrect Nebraska’s legacy, saying, “The parents all remember Nebraska as Nebraska. A lot of the kids don’t. It’s our job to change that. It’s our job to make sure the new generation remembers Nebraska for what it is and what it should be.”

Frost will benefit from a good deal of returning offensive production, but a quarterback will need to be established for Nebraska to truly thrive. With Tanner Lee gone, the position is up for grabs, and if Frost finds “the guy” to run his offense, Nebraska could be scary next year.

Nebraska’s non-conference schedule should be a cake walk, and their conference schedule is manageable. A bowl appearance is by no means out of the question, and if they can quickly adapt to Frost’s new system, a top three finish in the Big Ten East is certainly in play.

Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald

Northwestern

Pat Fitzgerald has established himself as a dependable head coach in the Big Ten, navigating his alma mater from conference bottom-feeders to a consistently respectable program. While the Wildcats don’t return much star power, they bring back a lot of reliable starters, including quarterback Clayton Thorson. They should also be sound defensively, especially up front where they are anchored by freshman All-American Joe Gaziano.

Fitzgerald mentioned that he feels the Big Ten West is “as competitive as anywhere in the country.” As the West builds up, so has Northwestern, and their chance to play in Indianapolis is as good as anyone in the West besides Wisconsin.

Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley

Penn State

Penn State has lost a great deal of star-talent, but none more important than Saquon Barkley. Luckily for Penn State, they return Heisman hopeful Trace McSorley. With promoted offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne, McSorley is ready to take command and be

the focal point of this offense for the first time since strapping up the navy and white. While there’s no replacing Saquon Barkley, former five-star recruit Miles Sanders will look to pick up some of the slack behind a line that returns all but one starter. The offense shouldn’t look much different schematically, according to McSorley. “The biggest difference is the faces,” he said. “You got through practice three of four, now you’re used to looking out and seeing DeAndre [Thompkins] or Nick [Scott] out at safety.” If the Nittany Lions can maintain defensive success, they will be in position for a Big Ten championship.

 

Purdue

Purdue, typically on the bottom rung of the Big Ten ladder, seems to finally have a reason for optimism after a seven-win 2017, thanks in large part to head coach Jeff Brohm. There is strong competition at quarterback, but both redshirt sophomore Elijah Sindelar and redshirt senior David Blough have proven to be capable starters. There are, however, big questions on defense, which returns only four starters from last season. After a good season a year ago, it’s hard to envision Purdue repeating the same level of play defensively, but with a young group and Brohm at the helm, they could get back in the mix of things in a couple years.

Minnesota

Minnesota football has a reason for optimism and his name is P.J. Fleck. Fleck, who famously “rowed the boat” with Western Michigan to 13-0 record, will be tasked with reviving a program that hasn’t been a national threat since the 1960s. As of now, there isn’t a firm decision at quarterback, as no one in the room has thrown a pass for Minnesota, but running back Rodney Smith and wide receiver Tyler Johnson can take some pressure off of whoever is the signal-caller. Things may get tough for Minnesota without a true quarterback, but as Fleck mentioned, Minnesota just collected one of its best recruiting classes in school history and currently has a top-25 class for 2019.

Rutgers

Things have not been easy for Rutgers in recent years, but brighter days may finally be ahead with head coach Chris Ash. The defense should be its typical solid self with a lot of production returning, but what has eluded them most may finally have arrived in New Jersey. True freshman Artur Sitkowski showed promise in spring like no quarterback in recent Rutgers history has. The IMG Academy product has plenty of hype surrounding him, and many think he will get the nod, but Ash has not named a starter yet. This year may be a little early to put Rutgers in serious Big Ten contention, but further development from Sitkowski may be enough to bring return them back to relevance.

Michigan

With a 1-5 record against Michigan rivals Ohio State and Michigan State, Jim Harbaugh’s career at Michigan has not gone as planned. Brought in to be the savior of Michigan football, Harbaugh has failed to reach anything higher than an Orange Bowl loss to Florida. With more criticism coming his way, however, Jim Harbaugh has a very talented roster he should be able to win with. The difference between this one and ones in years’ past? Quarterback Shea Patterson. The former five-star recruit transferred from Ole Miss and was granted immediate eligibility to play at Michigan, finally giving Harbaugh a quarterback he’s so desperately needed. While there are big questions along the offensive line, particularly at the tackle spots, Donovan Peoples-Jones can be a game-breaking receiver, especially now paired with Patterson. Harbaugh will roll into 2018 with, once again, a very talented defense that returns five All-Big Ten players. If the Wolverines can find consistency on the offensive side of the ball, there should be no reason they can’t compete with the likes of Penn State and Ohio State for the Big Ten East.

Twitter: @crbevins11

Hear audio from Scott Frost, Pat Fitzgerald, Jim Harbaugh and Trace McSorley:

Wildcats Outrun Cornhuskers in 73-61 Win (with audio)

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There is a very different feeling in the air at Northwestern.  Welsh-Ryan Arena used to be a place for visiting Big Ten teams to break losing streaks or get off the skids. Not anymore.  In three short years, Chris Collins has turned a program around that might finally end the school’s NCAA drought.

The Wildcats followed up their first win in forty years at Columbus with a convincing 73-61 win over Nebraska, in which Vic Law had a twenty point effort, Bryant McIntosh had nine points and nine assists, and reserve Isiah Brown chipped in ten.  The big story for the Wildcats was, well, the big story, or rather  Dererk Pardon. The six-foot eight-inch center from Cleveland doesn’t even average eight points a game, yet has saved some of his career best efforts for the Cornhuskers.  Last season he scored 28 in a late December game in Lincoln. This season he managed a “mere” thirteen in the return to Nebraska. On Thursday night he lit up the Husker defense for nineteen points and snagged 22 rebounds.  It overshadowed a 23 point effort by Nebraska guard Tai Webster.

The contest was close all night, with neither team holding a lead of greater than seven points, until Northwestern went on a 16-1 run with five minutes to play.

That was not the type of Wildcat team that seemed to play patsy for its conference opposition the past.

After the game Collins noted, “I always said from day one, we just had to win.” Then he quoted Kevin Costner, “It’s a field of dreams. If you build it they will come. ”

“We just wanted to put a product on the floor, that people would be excited about following. Our guys play so hard, whether we make mistakes or look good at times. ” He added, ” [See] The effort my guys are giving? When we get to the locker after the game, we got nothing left. I’m so proud of that. They leave it on the floor every night, we’re not going to look good all the time. We had stretches tonight where we didn’t look great.

“But the fact now that The crowds becoming a factor is something I’ve envisioned when I came here, and I said that. And hopefully it’ll continue to get better. We’re gonna need it in order to be a factor in this league. You got to win at home, and a big part of that is the atmosphere.”

Collins certainly knows that. His Wildcats host the Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday and Welsh-Ryan is sold out.

Nebraska coach Tim Miles stated, “It felt like when we’d get it to four, we’d miss a one and one, we charge on a layup, or miss a layup.  We felt like we played hard enough, but when you’re coming from behind the margin of error is so slim. We missed so many inside shots. We had no transition points.”

Reshirt sophomore Vic Law, who been there since day one of the Collins era summed it up, “This is a different Northwestern. Our goal is just to be different. We’re coming into these games with the mindset of winning. We were really trying to learn what the Big Ten is and build our identity. Now we know what it takes to win, how to get stops. You have a lot more leadership and a stronger base to build off of, and the younger guys can come in and be impactful.”

Law went on to say, “Previously you’d see a lot of the other team colors.  Now, he says ”  It’s all purple and it feels so good, because you can have a true home court advantage.”

Northwestern is now 17-4, and 6-2 in the Big Ten.  Nebraska is 9-11 (3-5)

Hear post game comments (in order) from Nebraska coach Tim Miles, Northwestern coach Chris Collins, and NU player Vic Law.

Big Ten Media Day Recap

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big-ten-logo-newThe offseason for college sports is like when a really hyped movie releases a trailer months before it’s actual release.  Fans can’t wait until it comes out.  But instead of full length trailers, you get lots and lots of teasers from your favorite teams. Considering the Big Ten won the first championship in the 4-team playoff format, there’s a lot to look forward to this year. And the most exciting previews come from the Big Ten media day. Urban Meyer comes off his third championship, Wisconsin moves on from their record setting running back, Michigan introduces a coach known for team turnarounds, and Penn State’s future looks bright.

Here’s a Big Ten preview culled from the recent Media Days in Chicago

Ohio State

Urban Meyer
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer

The main story out of Ohio State these past few days has been the suspensions of four players due to academic issues. Among them is the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Joey Bosa, as well as running backs Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson, and wide receiver Corey Smith. “I kind of knew about this for a little bit. It was a university — I think the department has policies that we expect and I 100 percent am fully supportive of it.” Coach Urban Meyer said in his opening statement. The comment I did make, we are playing an extremely talented team, very well-coached team on the road in a tough environment. However, we have recruited very well. So get going, move forward.” He continued. The four players will miss the season opener against Virginia Tech, the only team to beat the Buckeyes last year.

No surprise, Ohio State opens as #1 in the preseason coaches poll. The Buckeyes won their first national championship since 2002, and Urban Meyer wins his third overall after previously winning two at Florida. The one question that was asked to almost every player at each big ten school was, “How are you going to prepare for the game against Ohio State?” Nobody had a definite answer, only that they would cross that bridge when they got to it.

Michigan

After leading the San Francisco 49ers to three conference championships and a super bowl appearance, Jim Harbaugh returns as head coach for his alma mater Michigan. “I’m excited to see all our players, how they come back from the summer. The players have a chance to work on their skills, and people improve over those months and those summers, and you don’t really

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh
Jim Harbaugh

know how until you get onto the field.” Michigan has struggled in recent years, finishing 2014 with a 5-7 record and no bowl appearance, which led to the firing of Brady Hoke after four seasons. Harbaugh was already an Ann Arbor fan favorite. As the Wolverines starting quarterback in 1985 and 1986, he won more than 80% of his games. As a head coach, he has a history of turning teams from worst to first. After taking over a 1-11 Stanford team in 2007, the Cardinals won the Orange Bowl in 2010. This success earned him the head coaching job with the San Francisco 49ers, who went from 6-10 to 13-3 in 2011 and ended their nine season playoff drought. It’s almost a perfect fit that Harbaugh takes over the struggling Michigan Wolverines.

 

Northwestern

Last off-season, Northwestern hit a bit of a rough patch. Running back Venric Mark was suspended and then announced his intentions to transfer, and wide receiver Christian Jones was out for the season with a torn ACL. Not wanting the injury to

Pat Fitzgerald

distract him, Jones spent last season getting ready for his return. “Watching the guys play, trying to tell myself this isn’t as big of a deal as I’ll make it. Trying to keep myself from getting down.” Jones said. In 2013, he piled up 54 receptions for 668 yards and four touchdowns. Coach Pat Fitzgerald had his own thoughts on the offense this year. “We’ll be much improved, we gotta settle the quarterback battle, we have a dynamic running back crew, you look at the success we’ve had over time with our offense, I fully expect that we’ll be right back to where we’ve been.”

 

 

Nebraska

Towards the end of the 2014 season, Nebraska made the surprising decision to fire coach Bo Pelini after seven seasons, despite never amassing less than nine wins per year. The Cornhuskers hired Oregon State coach Mike Riley as his replacement last January. “The transitioning part is not easy.” Riley said. “But it’s also

Mike Riley
Mike Riley

exciting. I’m personally exciting about being in a new conference. In my world of coaching football and going to new places, new stadiums with a great history like there is in the big ten, it will really be a lot of fun.” He went on to say. Riley finished with a 93-80 record in twelve years with Oregon State.

Penn State

It took a few years, but things are finally looking up for Penn State following the Sandusky scandal. The NCAA reinstated their wins from 1998-2011 in January, and coach James Franklin is optimistic about the coming years. “So many positive things are falling into place now. Penn State is able to get scholarships back, having an opportunity to go to bowl games, the way recruiting is going, the way we played in the bowl, and the way the season ended.” He said. Penn State appeared in their first bowl game since 2011 after their four year bowl ban was lifted, and all scholarships restored in 2015.

Illinois

It’s not an easy start for Illinois coach Tim Beckman. Following accusations that he mistreated players, on top of not having a winning season in his three years with the team, his future remains uncertain. “You know, we’re focused right now on a 2015 football team. We took off from last year after a great end of the year. And we’ve been focused since January on becoming a better football program. The philosophy that we continue to use is what these football players believe in football.” Beckman’s record as coach has steadily improved during his tenure, from 2-10, to 4-8, to 6-7. Although he was asked more than once about receiving a contract extension, he says all he is focused on is the first football game.

Wisconsin

It’s always hard to replace a star college player after they leave for the draft. For Paul Chryst, he has no worries about Melvin Gordon’s successor. But can you really replace the guy who set the NCAA record for rushing yards in a game? Then again, Gordon replaced Montee Ball, the guy who set the record for most NCAA rushing touchdowns in a season and a career. With

Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst

Gordon going to the San Diego Chargers, Corey Clement is set to be the next big Wisconsin running back. “I finally get the chance I’ve always wanted. Melvin has only taught me the finer things of how to prepare for each game and how to come into camp ready, and I’m just anxious to get out there for the first game against Alabama.” Clement said. In his two years with Wisconsin, Clement has rushed for 1,496 yards and 16 touchdowns. “I think Corey has got a clear expectation of what it is to be the running back at Wisconsin. He knows who he is and he knows he doesn’t have to be Melvin. So I like where he’s at now.” Paul Chryst said.

Thoughts on the 2014 Best Picture Oscar Contenders

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gravity-movieIt took until the Thursday before Oscar Sunday to finally view each and every one of the Best Picture Oscar nominees.  Here are my thoughts on each of the films, and my prediction for the Best Picture winner.

In the theater, especially in IMAX, Gravity was a visual spectacle.  It certainly helps to convey the vastness of space. While the movie played out like a space television drama, and is a great vehicle for Sandra Bullock, it just didn’t have the rocket power to be the best picture.  That said, it might just deliver an Oscar for director Alfonso Cuaron.

Philomena was a pleasant surprise, mostly because of the story itself, and how it played out in flashback.  Dame Judy Dench’s title character is so vulnerable and yet so determined to find answers. It shows was a true range she can play, compared to the hard nosed “M” in the recent spate of James Bond movies.  Rent and watch for sure.

Perhaps an even more surprising movie was Her. It’s set in  a futuristic world where a person can interact with their operating system. This is no Siri on steroids, this was full blown artificial intelligence voiced by Scarlet Johanssen. What’s not to love. I heard an interesting comment from someone who’d also seen it. She didn’t like the fact that it portrayed all these people who spent time on their devices and didn’t interact with others.  I wanted to tell her to just look around. It’s already happening.  That is what good science fiction does. It takes our current conditi0ns an plays it out to extremes. In addition, the film is shot with very stylistic scenes in which Joaquin Phoenix’s character might be wearing a red shirt, as there is a red colored panel on the wall, as well as some red hues in the background. Similarly, if he wore orange, the same effect would played out in that color.  Very thought provoking.

Dallas-Buyers-ClubDallas Buyer’s Club is an gut wrenching portrayal of one man’s quest to bypass the lengthy and allegedly roadblocked FDA = approval process to obtain AIDS medication.  It is a grim portrayal of the early eighties when not enough was known effective treatments for the assorted maladies afflicting HIV positive people.  Matthew McConaghey may well take home a gold statuette for his portrayal of Ron Woodruf, the real life protagonist of this story.  Jered Leto is a lock to win Best Supporting Actor for his role as Rayon a transvestite who shares  Woodruf’s entrepreneurial venture to procure unapproved medications from Mexico or anywhere they can be found.  Ironically Rayon is not a real person, but a composite of several individuals involved in the real story.  It was a top notch ensemble effort, but not the strongest movie in my view. An interesting note, White Sox 1B and DH Adam Dunn invested in the movie, and has a cameo as well as bartender Neddie Jay.

Nebraska had the stark look I’ve out most window all winter – gray and white.  Bruce Dern gives one of the performances of his career. While I’ll always be partial to his turn as Freeman Lowell in 1972’s Silent Running, he is terrific as Woody Grant, a slightly demented old coot, who’s convinced his Publisher’s Clearing House-type letter is a million dollar winner.  His son, who’s at wits end, as the old man tires attempts his own aborted journeys to recoup this alleged prize, finally takes him on the road to Lincoln, Nebraska. They are forced to detour through Woody’s hometown where he becomes a local celebrity.  June Squibb, who plays Woody’s wife Kate steals the movie.  Her character’s unfiltered commentary and background tales are hilarious. She deserves a Best Supporting Actress award, but probably won’t get it.

Captain Phillips is the finally movie I saw to complete the 2014 movie bucket list.  Despite knowing the outcome of the story, I was on the edge of my seat during the Somali pirate takeover of the ship, and the rescue by the Counter-Piracy Task Force and the Navy SEALs. The pirates are amped up on khat, a plant that when chewed gives them amphetamine fueled euphoria and energy.  It seems that at any minute they could execute one of the hostages in an incredibly tense drama.  Somali-American  Barkhad Abdi might have basked in Supporting Actor gold, if not for Leto’s performance.

12 Years A Slave is another powerful depiction of the most embarrassing epochs of American history. However, I still think that Roots, the 1977 television miniseries was a far more provocative, emotional, and memorable representation of slavery.  Chiwetel Ejiofor was great as Solomon Northrop, a free black man kidnapped into the slave trade.  But I am old enough to remember seeing Lavar Burton’s turn as Kaunta Kinte. Maybe it’s not fair to compare an eight hour television drama with a two-hour movie, but nearly forty years after Roots was televised on ABC, I can still visualize the heartbreak of that program.  I would have preferred to see a little more of Northrup’s “escape” and subsequent efforts to bring his kidnappers to justice.

wolf-of-wallstreetThere no doubt in my mind, the best movie of 2013 I saw was The Wolf Of Wall Street. Yet another movie based on a true tale. This is an epic movie of greed and corruption on a ridiculous scale.  If I didn’t know that the rise and fall of stockbroker and swindler Jordan Belfort was true, I wouldn’t have believed such debauchery could take place.  Yet, Leonardo DiCaprio proves once again why he is one of the best and brightest actors in Hollywood.  Leo is in virtually every scene in this three hour epic adventure.  The action is non-stop plays the drug addled, lecherous, conniving Belfort to a tea. DiCaprio deserves his first Oscar for Best Actor, but he faces stiff competition from McConaghey and Ejoifor.  Some voters may be turned off by all the drug consumption and womanizing on screen, but his performance is so electric, especially a scene where he takes too many Quaaludes and is literally crawling on the ground, barely able to speak.

American Hustle was the early front runner for Best Picture. I remember well the Abscam scandal that broke in the early ’80s and resulted in the convictions of several politicians.  David O. Russell teamed up again with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence to recreate the era of dangling gold jewelry and plunging necklines.  As far as an ensemble cast, this is it, with Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Christopher Nolan give five solid gold performances in this movie.  Lawrence also has a chance to win Best Supporting Actress, but the trajectory of Lupita Nyong’o in 12 Years has been on a rocket rise lately. The safe bet says that Hustle wins, but 12 Years is hot on its heels.

Catch the Oscar telecast on ABC Sunday night.

 

Wildcats Fall Short Of Comeback

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Northwestern_Wildcats

Northwestern found themselves in unfamiliar territory coming into Saturday’s home matchup against Nebraska after winning four of their last five games in the Big Ten.

The Wildcats were actually favored to win for the first time all season in conference play when they hosted the Cornhuskers at Welsh Ryan Arena Saturday, and for a short time  it looked like they would pull off another win for first year head coach, Chris Collins.

JerShon Cobb led the Wildcats (12-12 5-6 Big Ten) with 7 points on 3-5 shooting in the first half, and Northwestern held Nebraska (12-10 4-6 Big Ten)  to 6-24 shooting (25%) to go into the break with a 22-16 lead over the Cornhuskers.

However, the second half was a different story as the Wildcats struggled to score, shooting just 9-25 from the floor and 5-15 from behind the three point line.

“It’s hard for us to score; that’s not new,” coach Chris Collins said. “So when we do get good looks or go to the free throw line, we have to make those.”

Nebraska forward, and star player, Walter Pitchford caught fire and scored 13 of his game high 17 points in the second half on 4-5 shooting including 3-3 from downtown, and it looked the Cornhuskers were ready to blow the game wide open by taking a 44-36 lead.

However, NU Star Drew Crawford did not give up. After missing his first three attempts from downtown, he drilled two straight to get the Wildcats back in the game and the crowd fired up, as well as Collins on the sideline.

Northwestern guard, Tre Demps, tied the score at 44 but that would be as close as it would get. Cobb would miss a good look on the next possession to take the lead, allowing Nebraska put the nail in the coffin.

Cornhusker forwards, Walter Pitchford (15 points) and Petteway, would eventually knock down two clutch three pointers to end the Cats comeback and put them away for good.

“They hit a couple big shots down the stretch and we didn’t,” coach Chris Collins said after the game. “That was the difference. We had been making those shots those last few games, and today, we didn’t. We got the game tied and they hit incredible shots at the end of the shot clock. Petteway’s 3 was from about 27 feet with a guy all over him.”

For the rest of coach Collins press conference click the link below.

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