SPOTLIGHTS
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UBS sample and big news! (08.19.2009)
First things first, here is this week's sample:
Make sure to check out the UBS Evening News in the Movie Zone tomorrow to see who this is!
Also, just wanted to let my readers know that I am going to start being more structured and regular with my blog updates.
Mondays are going to be Fun-days where I post some choice links whether they be funny or interesting.
Tuesdays are going to be for the UBS tease
Wednesdays are going to be for wrestling. I will post some thoughts about what's going on in the world of pro wrestling.
Thursdays are going to be for sports and maybe cooking.
Fridays are going to be when I post some links and pics of hot ass broads. And whatever else I feel like.
Saturdays and Sundays I probably won't post that much.
It all gets started next Monday!
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UBS Sample Time! (08.13.2009)
Here is this week's gal. Can you guess who it is??
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New UBS Sample!! (08.03.2009)
I wanted to get on this one early as this gal is one of my favorite finds since I started doing the UBS Report. She is as fine as can be. Of course, you are gonna have to wait until next week to see who she is...
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UBS Preview (07.29.2009)
I've really been slacking on my blog lately. Sorry about that.
Anyway, here is a look at who we have coming up in the next UBS...
Also, make sure to check out my newest ECW Extreme Extracts. I think it is the best one yet.
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New UBS Preview! (07.21.2009)
This week on the UBS Report I am posting gals that readers submitted to me. I got some really, really good submissions too! Here is this week;s preview...
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Wrestling Related Stuff (07.19.2009)
I missed all but the main event from tonight's TNA pay-per-view show tonight as I was watching Big Brother, True Blood, and Hung. From the reaction on the forum and from what little bit I saw, sounds like I made a good decision.
I have to admit, I don't really watch much of TNA. There aren't a whole lot of wrestlers on their roster that I am a fan of and thus I don't really watch the show. I do try to keep up with the TV reports for my Wrestler of the Week voting in case anything noteworthy happens but I usually end up voting for WWE guys.
Speaking of Wrester of the Week, I already did my voting and for those that know me, my choice for #1 isn't a surprise to anyone. Looking for the results on the wrestling zone tomorrow!
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More Manly Cooking (07.19.2009)
Tonight I made another dish from my Can Opener Gourmet cookbook; Penne with Chicken and Pine Nuts. I've actually made it before and it turned out a little bland. This time I pretty much doubled the amount of spiced it called for and instead of using canned chicken I bought two garlic & butter marinated boneless, skinless breasts from the supermarket and grilled them up on the ol' George Foreman grill. I even chopped a small onion to put in the tomato sauce while making my lunch earlier today but I forgot about it. Still, it turned out pretty great. I impressed myself with my multi-tasking skills while making it as I had the pasta boiling, the tomato sauce going in another pot, the pine nuts roasting in the oven, and the chicken on the grill. Sorry, no pic this time.
If you are a bachelor or if you are looking to make something really good to impress your special lady, you really need to pick this cookbook up.
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Troglodytes (07.17.2009)
Troglodyte: A person considered to be reclusive, reactionary, out of date, or brutish.
Last week I brought my skills to bear on the Movie Zone's Fact or Fiction column. I seemed to ruffle some feathers with this comment:
"2. Bruno will be funnier and even more outrageous than Borat.
Andy Critchell: Fiction - I don't even know where to start with this. First of all, Borat was terrible and Bruno looks even worse. No one knows how to take a one note joke and wear it out like Sacha Baron Cohen. 'Oh look, this character is a huge creep and doesn't understand that he's making people uncomfortable. Isn't it hilarious?' 'Oh look, I'm going to try and perform gay acts on someone who isn't gay! Isn't it hilarious?' I mean come on, what kind of troglodyte do you have to be to enjoy that claptrap? And now we have to deal with ANOTHER one? Christ. And the promotion for this movie has been completely insufferable."
Now I really didn't think it was a big deal as I was just giving my opinion but the people in the comment section went absolutely nuts on me, much to my amusement. Anyway, this week I did Fact or Fiction for the Wrestling Zone and one of the readers shot back at me:
"Andy Critchell laughs out loud at the Abraham Washington show, yet on 411Movies he refers to people that like Bruno as 'troglodytes?'
Guess its just fun to be contrary, and offensive...because no one could find Abraham Washington funny.
Transcript of Abraham Washington show:
'Tommy Dreamer, you fat.'
'Nah, I just playing man'
'Tommy Dreamer, you fat.'
'Nah, I just playing man'
and so on...
Awesome taste, Andy...maybe I just don't get it because I am a 'troglodyte.'"
Needless to say, I could not be happier about how this has turned out.
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Some serious stuff (07.17.2009)
First, an update on maybe the most horrible story I have heard in a long time. I really feel for those kids and hope that they are with people who will love and care for them like their parents did.
Next, I have two op-ed pieces from the New York Times. The first one deals with community colleges and the other one deals with just how shady these Wall Street firms really are.
On a personal note, when I was in college one of my teachers said that he read the New York Times everyday and that we should too. I remember thinking that made no sense since we were in St. Louis and not New York but as I've gotten older I have started to realize what he was talking about. Thanks to the internet I am able to read articles from it every day. I also try to check out the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, the Detroit Free Press, the Kansas City Star, and of course the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. I have them all on my iGoogle page and I have found that to be pretty handy.
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Killing time on a Friday (07.17.2009)
I have a couple of fun links to pass along.
With the recent Apollo 11 anniversary, I thought I would pass along a story about The Great Moon Hoax. It is a great read and shows that people back then were just as susceptible to gossip, rumor, and hoaxes in the newspaper as they are today with the internet.
And here is a neat article about WWE wrestler Evan Bourne. He grew up near me and my younger sister even had his mom as a teacher in elementary school. Plus we are both Mizzou Tigers so I definitely root for the guy.
EDIT: One more link, just because...
Someone Actually Stole This Car
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Top 5 hot chicks (07.15.2009)
Christina Hendricks is fine as fuck!
Today I am came upon this link (SFW) and it was just another reminder of how much I dig Mad Men overall and Christina Hendricks in particular. She's definitely in my top five. Since I have never mentioned my top five, here it is:
1. Angelina Jolie
2. Scarlett Johansson
3. Megan Fox
4. Christina Hendricks
5. Kelly Brook
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Another UBS Sample! (07.12.2009)
Well it is week two of the UBS Sample! Like I said last week, you can check out my blog to get a sample of the girl I am posting on this week's Interactive Babe Photo News Brief. All I have to say this time is that you guys are gonna LOVE my choice for this week...
Here it is:
Now if this week or any other week you know who my gal is, just pop me an email at andy(dot)critchell(at)gmail(dot)com and you’ll win yourself a no-prize and get a mention in the UBS Report.
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Green Lantern (07.12.2009)
We've found out that Ryan Reynolds has been tapped for the lead role in Green Lantern. I, for one, am very excited that this movie is finally being made as GL was one of my favorites dating back to when I was a kid. Reynolds is an interesting choice, most see him as the wise ass from Waiting and Van Wilder but I'm willing to give him a shot. This could be the role that casts him in a different light. And besides, he seemed to do OK with the action roles he's had in Wolverine and Blade: Trinity.
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MMA (07.08.2009)
There is a lot of buzz around this weekend's big UFC 100 show. For people that are fans, it is a huge deal and a significant milestone. I'm sure for many in the MMA community this show is more evidence that MMA is part of the larger sports landscape and is another step away from it being seen as a niche sport.
But for me, I'm not really all that into MMA. I've seen it, I've enjoyed it, but at the end of the day I don’t really care. I sort of had an epiphany today when I realized that a big reason why I don't care is because I don't know anyone that I consider smart who is a huge MMA fan. The people I know who are really into it are just meatheads. I don't know of any smart writers that follow it either. Weird.
Sports are a communal thing for me. Part of the reason why I am a big NBA fan is that there are literally dozens of blogs that do a great job covering the NBA and several really good national and local columnists that write about the games so eloquently so it is very easy to get into the sport. I enjoy the culture of a sport as much as I enjoy the sport itself and when I think of MMA fans I think of guys with barbed wire tats and Affliction t-shirts, I think of Joe Rogan yelling about how this is the greatest fight ever, and I think of a bunch of meatheads at the local Hooters getting all amped up. That’s not my crowd and not a crowd I’d want to be a part of. I'd love for a smart writer to come along and cover MMA in an intelligent way the same way smart writers cover NFL, MLB, and NBA and then maybe I would see some smart people get into a sport that obviously has an attraction. Until that happens I guess I will just be apathetic.
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UBS Preview! (07.05.2009)
So I thought I would help out all the fans of the UBS Report by each week giving you a little preview of the babe I will be posting that week. Of course, I am not going to give away the whole kit n’ caboodle. Oh no! Instead, just like your friendly neighborhood crack dealer, the first taste is just a sample. To get the whole rock, you gotta visit the UBS report in the movie zone each and every Thursday to see what your ol’ Uncle Andy has cooked up for you.
Here it is:
Now if this week or any other week you know who my gal is, just pop me an email at andy(dot)critchell(at)gmail(dot)com and you’ll win yourself a no-prize and get a mention in the UBS Report.
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Manly cooking (07.05.2009)
Boy, those three day weekends really make Mondays that much more crappy huh? Anyway, I have lately rediscovered my love for cooking and I have made some pretty great dishes as of late. Unfortunately, I am kind of lazy and when I come home from work I don’t usually feel like making anything super complicated. Thankfully, I have two great cookbooks that help me out and I thought I would pass them along to you. The first one is called A Man, a Can, and a Plan and it is full of simple and easy recipes you can make with canned food and minimal effort. The second one is called Can Opener Gourmet and while the recipes are a little more involved, they are well worth the effort. I have also found that you can find great recipes off of can labels and also on the web. In fact, tonight I made a recipe that I got off of the Campbell’s Soup website . Here is how it turned out:
Of course I cubed the chicken before I cooked it and I spiced it up with some paprika, lemon pepper, black pepper, salt, and garlic powder. It turned out great and took very little time to make.
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We were this close! (06.28.2009)
I watched the latest WWE PPV offering, The Bash, with great anticipation. It was a very solid card and I thought it had potential to be one of the best PPVs in a long time. Once it got going I loved what I saw. In fact, the first six matches were all very good to great. Jericho/Rey and Hardy/Punk were especially fantastic.
At this point the PPV is six for six and we’re heading into a match with one of my personal favorites, The Miz, facing John Cena. The match starts with Cena brushing off Miz’s offense but eventually Miz gets Cena down and is looking very powerful. But that’s when things go downhill as Cena makes his big comeback and makes The Miz tap just like that. I don’t hate Cena and I know he is just doing what he is told but I wish creative would have let Miz look stronger in defeat. Instead he ended up looking like a chump that didn’t even belong in the same ring as Cena.
Then we come to Orton/Triple H. This match wasn’t bad at all, but it wasn’t that great either. It certainly wasn’t at the level I would expect a main event to be. I don’t hate Triple H either but I am bothered by the fact that he is never made to look weak. He is always smarter and better than his opponents no matter if he wins or loses. And at the end of the day this match made Orton look like he didn’t belong in the same ring with Triple H. Orton is the guy with the title; shouldn’t he at least look like he is close to being the equal of Triple H? Come on now!
Overall, the Bash a very solid show but before the last two matches we were heading into 2009 PPV of the Year level greatness with this show. Instead, I feel like WWE missed a great opportunity.
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Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen (06.27.2009)
Well, just got back from seeing the movie and I thought it was great. The effects were even better this time and it really came through on the fight scenes.
When I was a kid, the Transformers were my favorite toy. The Transformers were my favorite cartoon. The Transformers were my favorite obsession. When the trailer for the first movie came out I was kind of unimpressed UNTIL I hear that familiar sound from the cartoon when one of the robots transforms. From then on I was sold.
The debate around Revenge of the Fallen is really confusing to me as I feel that it delivered in every way possible. And not only that, but my mom and little sister wanted to go too and they enjoyed it.
This movie gets an A-plus in my book. No complaints, no quibbles, no nothing.
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Draft update (06.25.2009)
Good news: My man DeMarre Carroll got picked in the first round, #27.
Bad news: He was picked by the Memphis Grizzlies, one of the worst run teams in the league.
Man...
Oh, and the Pistons picked Austin Daye out of Gonzaga. Jay Bilas said he needed to become more physical which I take to mean that he's a pussy. Yikes.
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More on the NBA Draft (06.24.2009)
So check this out:
PN’s big mock draft board
B.J. Mullens seems to be the popular choice and I'm all right with that. Steph Curry would be a dream come true but no way is he going to fall all the way to 15. If we end up taking Tyler Hansbrough I might jump out the window. It would be a bigger waste than the Darko pick. Hansbrough is the most overrated piece of shit I can remember. His "Psycho T" routine won't work in the NBA where guys are bigger, stronger, and just flat out better than he is. I don't give a fuck what kind of "motor" Hansbrough has, he will never be an impact layer in the NBA. Count on it.
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NBA Draft (06.23.2009)
So I am a big NBA fan and the draft is coming up on Thurday night. My favorite team, the Pistons, owns the 15th overall pick. They also have a boatload of cash now that some big contracts are off their books. I'm excited to see who they pick, I know Ricky Rubio will be gone already but I'm sure they can still get a quality player at 15. But what really had me excited was this tidbit. Mizzou is my alma mater and I loved DeMarre Carroll so to see him in the blue & red would be amazing.
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Something to Watch (06.22.2009)
It was brutally hot this weekend in St. Louis. Luckily for me I had a new DVD set to watch; Chikara DVD - Best Of 2008. If you like pro wrestling and have even the slightest sense of humor then Chikara is for you. Sure, it looks like all silly antics and wacky characters but at its heart is some very funny comedy and some pretty great wrestling. It’s like the Three Stooges, don’t think about it too much and just let yourself have some fun. And of course, let’s not forget Dragon Dragon!
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Quick Sunday Video! (06.21.2009)
I was never a big Nirvana fan but I really liked their version of The Man Who Sold the World from MTV's Unplugged.
Here is a rehearsal of that performance
Youtube
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Great new music! (06.17.2009)
So last Tuesday I picked up the new offering from Placebo, "Battle for the Sun" and it has not left my CD player since. I have pretty much enjoyed everything Placebo has ever put out but this new CD is particularly strong. Do yourself a favor and give it a chance.
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Friday afternoon (06.12.2009)
I have to say I am pretty pleased with the great response my first edition of ECW Extracts got. I hope next week’s sequel is more Wrath of Khan and less Caddyshack 2.
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