Cleaning Out My Inbox vol. III

A plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on The Closer, Saving Grace, The Ruins, Stargate: Atlantis, Scare Tactics, EMBARQ , The Hottest Young Stars to Watch, and Feral Children.

- Can’t say I have seen either of TNT’s critically acclaimed shows The Closer or Saving Grace, but both will be returning Monday, July 14 starting at 9:00. For those like me that have missed both, TNT has come up with rapid recaps of both which you can view below:

The Closer

Saving Grace


- Last Fall I shared a cool viral ad for The Ruins and now with the imminent release of the Unrated DVD and Blu-Ray version which feature scenes too intense for theaters you can head over ruinsmovie.com and play a game. My sources tell me that the game is best played with your headphones on.

- A pair of Sci-Fi Channel shows return in the next couple weeks including the new season of Stargate: Atlantis, which includes the show’s 100th episode, premieres on Friday, July 11 at 10:00. Then Scare Tactics, with new host Tracy Morgan, starts up on Wednesday July 9 at 10:00.

- A couple weeks ago I posted my rant against Time Warner Cable which is still going on. I may have to look at EMBARQ which also offers cable, internet and phone bundles. EMBARQ is trying to spread awareness about its new satellite services and has created an interactive character named Floppy Armed Muttonhead, that allows you to send “jabs” to your friends through a variety of word combinations all while swinging his floppy arm at them. Check out muttonheadsays.com for all the fun. (Scooter’s Note: doesn’t the dude look like Zach Brath under the hillbilly get up?)

- I am not sure what it says about me or the 9th Green that the very first press release TV Guide ever sent to me is their list of the 13 Hottest Young Stars to Watch, but here is the list:

1. Selena Gomez: This sassy sorcerer from the Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place soon will be costarring alongside Demi Lovato in the cable network's TV movie Princess Protection Program, premiering Sept. 18. With TV, movies and magazine spreads to her credit, Selena is already being dubbed "The Next Miley Cyrus."

2. Demi Lovato: With a sweet voice and perky style, this breakout star of Disney's Camp Rock soon may be the only Demi you'll hear about. When not rockin' venues around the country, she’ll be starring in her own Disney Channel show, Welcome to Mollywood, debuting in the 2008-09 season.

3. Miranda Cosgrove: From starring in her Nickelodeon show iCarly to having four featured tracks on the show's recently released compilation CD, Miranda Cosgrove has arrived. A recent episode of iCarly earned 4.5 million viewers, making Miranda’s show a hit among tweens and teens.

Rounding out the rest of the list are:

4. Emily Osment
5. Brenda Song
6. Dylan and Cole Sprouse
7. Emma Roberts
8. Alyson Stoner
9. Ali Lohan
10. Jordan Pruitt
11. David Henrie
12. Mitchel Musso
13. Meaghan Martin

Yeah, I have no clue who any of these people are sans Roberts, who I believe is Julia’s niece, and Lohan who I assume is Lindsay’s sister. And thirteen is an odd number for a list, couldn’t they find another person, or does Martin have so much potential that she warrants the unlucky number? But anyways. For more on each of these young stars, check out TVGuide.com, but be warned if you are older than these kids and check out the photo gallery, you run the risk of finding Chris Hansen in your kitchen one of these days.

- And since they asked nicely, the band Feral Children have the debut album Second to the Last Frontier coming out next week. You can listen to some of the tracks on their MySpace page.

We on Award Tour: 2008 ESPY Nominations

For whatever reason ESPN has tapped Justin Timberlake at host the ESPY’s. Considering his stint as host of the MTV Movie Awards host was uninspiring, I can’t say this was an inspired choice. And really make no sense because of the occasional Laker stands sighting he has basically any association with sports. Yet with the ESPY’s track record, the show should be at least watchable. This year’s Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, which tend to be the highlight every year will be going to the Black Power guys from the 1968 Olympics. Voting is open over at ESPN.com where you can find all the nominees. Here are select one I am highlighting from this year:


Best Male Athlete
Tiger Woods
Tom Brady
Kobe Bryant
Alex Rodriguez

Who I Voted For: Tiger Woods

Some say that ESPN favors New York and Boston too much and look no further than to this category for that. Here you have two losers nominated and you have to give to Tiger because he actually won something.


Best Team
New York Giants
Boston Red Sox
Kansas University Basketball
Tennessee Woman’s Basketball
Boston Celtics
Detroit Red Wings

Who I Voted For: Detroit Red Wings

My anti-New York/Boston bias is showing by going for Detroit.


Best Championship Performance
Venus Williams
Josh Beckett
Rafael Nadel
Tiger Woods

Who I Voted For: Rafael Nadel

Nadel did the unthinkable and embarrassed Roger Federer.


Best Breakthrough Athlete
Stephan Curry
Adrian Peterson
Kyle Bush
Ana Ivanovic

Who I Voted For: Stephan Curry

Peterson will probably win in a landslide because of all the fantasy teams he help win championships for and I would really like to vote for Ivanavic if only because she is what I like to referrer to as moderately attractive, but there is something to say that my cousin and I were talking about the NBA draft a while back, and we both thought it would be a good idea if the Cavs drafted him and that was solely based on the four games in the NCAA tournament. Now that is the definition of a breakout star.


Best Record Breaking Performance
Barry Bonds
Tom Brady and Randy Moss
Brett Farve
Usian Bolt

Who I Voted For: Brett Farve

Well you have to go for the person on here that never actually cheated, although I feel bad to include Bolt in that statement because I son’t know him, but you have to assume these days all the track and field people are doing something illegal.


Best Upset
Appalachian State over Michigan State (College Football)
New York Giants over New England Patriots (NFL)
Fresno State over Georgia (College Baseball)
Da’Tara at the Belmont (Horse Racing)

Who I Voted For: Appalachian State

As an Ohio resident I have to laugh at any pitfall to the neighbors to our north, but way no March Madness picks?


Best Moment
Central Washington vs. Western Oregon Softball
Jon Lester No Hitter
Danica Patrick

Who I Voted For: Central Washington

This needs to be explained, so some chick hit her very first home run ever only to come up lame going around first. Since rules state that if any teammate touches you on the base path you are automatically out, the other team picked her up and carried her around the base path so her first home run would count.


Best Game
New York Giants vs. New England Patriots
Kansas vs. Memphis (College Basketball)
Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Game Four)

Who I Voted For: New York Giants

The evil empire getting their first defeat in the last minute of the last game.


Best Play
Eli Manning to David Tyree (NFL)
Trinity University (Division III Football)
Rick Nash (NHL)
Blake Hoffarber (College Basketball)

Who I Voted For: Eli Manning to David Tyree

Hoffarber may not be a name you know, but this is actually the second time nominated and actually won before as a high schooler. But nothing is going to beat the helmet catch.


Best Coach/Manager
Tom Coughlin (New York Giants)
Terry Francona (Boston Red Sox)
Pat Summitt (Tennessee Woman’s Basketball)
Doc Rivers (Boston Celtics)

Who I Voted For: Tom Coughlin

It is silly each year that they always pick the coaches from the winning teams, yet would anyone put Doc Rivers in the fifty best managers in pro sport, much less the top four?


Best Finish
Jamie McMurry (Daytona International Speedway)
Western Kentucky over Drake (NCAA Basketball Tournament)
San Antonio Spurs over Phoenix Suns (NBA)
Pittsburg Penguins over Detroit Red Wings (Stanley Cup)

Who I Voted For: Western Kentucky

The Pittsburg game was a great finish, but it just prolonged the series another game, I got to go with the buzzer beater.


Hummer Like Nothing Else Award
Manny Ramirez
Sidney Crosby
Ashley Force
George Martin

Who I Voted For: George Martin

Wonder if Manny got the nod before or after he knocked the Red Sox secretary to the ground? For those that do not know George Martin, he walked 3200 miles for 9/11 charities.


Best NFL Player
Tom Brady
Randy Moss
Eli Manning
LaDainian Tomlinson
Bob Sanders
Brett Farve

Who I Voted For: Bob Sanders

I am a big proponent of defense wins championships and Sanders is the only defensive player here.


Best NBA Player
LaBron James
Kobe Bryant
Chris Paul
Dwight Howard
Kevin Garnett

Who I Voted For: Chris Paul

Kobe winning MVP was a joke because he wasn’t even the MVP of his own team. Without Pao Gasol, LA doesn’t even host a playoff series that is even if they make it. Paul on the other hand took a nothing team and took them within one game of the NBA Finals.


Best Baseball Player
Alex Rodriguez
Josh Beckett
Jimmy Rollins
Jake Peavy
C.C. Sabathia

Who I Voted For: Jake Peavy

I got nothing, time to end this.

Robbin' Old Folks and Making the Dash

Back in college there was plenty of Madden and pretty much all the sports games from EA, to the point I even entered into a tournament with a dorm mate on who could win the most of the EA games. Unfortunately we never finished because the other guy quite after I went up something like 5-2. But anyways. Even in the middle of all that superior Playstation days, we still had time to play Super Mario Kart.

For the most part we would play match race and tempers flared up just as they would in anything else with controllers being thrown as well as the occasional fist. Easily the most memorable game involved with the quitter mentioned above and may even rank high in most memorable college moments. While we were engaged in yet another marathon session (usually we play best of 10 or more since battle modes do not take that long) and a buddy of ours came in and told him to a sip of something in a cap which he did. The friend mentioned as the other guy bolted out of the room, down to the drinking fountain where he spent a good five minutes that it was moonshine. Needless to say I won that round.

My sister recently mentioned that she was going to buy herself a Wii. Please don’t spoil her, but she will be getting Mario Kart Wii for Christmas and I may be spending more time out her place when it happens. Someone else will have to bring the moonshine. But all in all, the one that started it all is this month’s induction into the Scooter Hall of Fame.

Basically What We Gonna Do Is Dance

What a difference a generation makes. Everyone under the age of thirteen knows Vanessa Hudgens as the wholesome chick from the High School Musical series while everyone over that age knows her as the not so wholesome chick from the internet pictures. No matter the age group, very little people know her as a singer outside the musical. Of course it didn’t help that her best songs dropped just shortly before the scandal broke last year.

Since nude scandals no longer hurt careers anymore, and in most cases actually help, Hudgens is back with a new album Identify before parents across the country to see the third installment of High School Musical. If there is a theme to the album it is dancing. The first single Sneakernight is dedicated to the footwear of choice when it is time to go out dancing while Hook it Up is what happens when the shoes are on.

Hook it Up also features the annoying faux rap that ever female dance act goes into at least once an album ever since Gwen Stefani. Most of the dance tracks are you typically paint by numbers tracks that break no new boundaries complete with overproduction and Pro Tools aided vocals. The only song that even comes close to deviating is the album opener Last Night, a danceable track that with banjos that could get people moving from Middle School dances to your local ho-downs. Well ho-downs hosted by Jessica Simpson.

Of course I don’t think there has been a more profound lyrics written this year than, “I see Milky Way hotties so beam me up Scotty” from Party on the Moon. Granted the only other songs worth checking out are the slow songs, highlighted by Don’t Ask Why that comes close to last year’s breezy Say OK. Well unless you fall in the under thirteen category, then maybe the recycled dance beats may be more your style.

Song to Download - Last Night

Identify gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

Voted Most Likely to End up on the Back of a Milk Box Drink

Certainly by now you have heard the not a Jill Sobule cover I Kissed a Girl or the ode to Ryan Seacrest You’re so Gay by Katy Perry (I featured the former in a battle of the not cover songs last week). Calling the reviews for her album One of the Boys mixed would be an understatement. Billboard said, “Not since Jagged Little Pill has a debut album been so packed with potential hits,” while Rolling Stone labeled it “boring.”

The Alanis Morissette comparison could come more from the appearance of Glen Ballard who co-wrote her debuted album and hasn’t been heard since help making the worst Dave Matthews Band album of their career. But a much better comparison would be Avril Lavigne if she let her keyboardist have too much control in her band. Not surprisingly, sometime Lavigne producer Dr. Luke also shows up on One of the Boys.

This is not to disrespect Lavigne who has been able to create a few catchy songs in her career and can actually carry a tune. Perry on the other hand has a voice that gets grating fast sounding like the leader of a bad new wave band from the eighties and as Rolling Stone were point on by calling the album boring; it is just one paint by number angst track after another. The only tracks that stand out are the two novelty tracks previously mention, but Perry’s novelty wears thin a lot sooner than even Who Let the Dogs Out as each got tiresome about the second listen.

It is funny that Perry makes fun of emo rockers in You’re So Gay, because if a dude sang any of her songs, he’d definitely wear guyliner and be signed to Pete Wentz’s label. Self Inflicted is so laughable as a song you have to wonder if it is supposed to be as tongue and cheek as her novelty songs. And her love for eighties new wave, a precursor to emo, almost goes over the edge on If You Can Afford Me which changes enough notes from The Cure’s Just Like Heaven to avoid a copyright suit.

Song to Download - I'm Still Breathing - One of the Boys

One of the Boys gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.