| NFL gets the TMQ seal of approval
Detroit finished last in defense, 19th in offense, and coach Rod Marinelli, who supervises the defense, fired offensive coordinator Mike Martz, seeming to blame him for the team's late-season collapse. Herm "I Honor My Contact When I'm in the Mood" Edwards just fired his entire offensive staff. The grapevine says Mike "The Ultimate Leader" Shanahan might fire defensive coordinator Jim Bates, one year after firing defensive coordinator Larry Coyer. Apparently, all these assistant coaches did terrible jobs -- they must all have forgotten how to coach! -- while all the head coaches in question were in no way responsible. "Win as a team, lose as a team" means that when you lose, all coaches are equally to blame. Instead, coaches shift blame by cashiering assistants, either implying or stating outright that whatever went wrong was the assistants' fault.
Show the games in high definition
While watching the snowy playoff game at Lambeau Field last Saturday I remarked to my fellow football fans how much fun it would be to see and hear the game in HDTV.On Monday, local media were reporting an increase in the sale of television receivers and attributed it in part to excitement over the Packers appearing in the NFC Championship game today. That underscores my lament of no HDTV from our local Fox affiliate.
While this is no fault of the local staff, the station ownership needs to know how much the 7 Rivers Region wants to enjoy our Packers games in the high definition video and exciting audio that the majority of the country receives.Once you watch football in HDTV, you'll see what I mean. Please join me in writing and calling WLAX-TV so your wishes are passed on to their ownership group.
The Debriefing: The Atlanta Falcons are Probably Having a Worse Week ...
The Debriefing is a column that runs every weekday at 9:00 a.m. here on FanHouse. It goes deep into one issue and then bounces around to a plethora of smaller ones ... and does it all in a way that will make you feel like the prettiest girl at the cotillion. Bookmark this page, and visit daily. .
Critics peek inside Oscar
If the past few years (or the past few decades) are any indication, trying to predict who will get a nod is like trying to predict Kevin Federline's musical career.So this year, Fresno Bee movie critics Donald Munro and Rick Bentley are taking a different approach. Their lists are the actors and films that they would honor if they were selecting those to get the Oscar nods. Here's how they would hand out the 2008 Academy Award nominations.Donald Munro's picksBest picture"Hairspray": The feel-good movie of the year, perfectly pitched and so giddy in its forward momentum and cheery social message that you'll be dancing out of the theater."No Country for Old Men": It captures the Wild West tinge of underlying violence that boosted the United States in its early days and to an extent still forms the framework of our society: a country of wide-open spaces, boundless opportunities and a chilling tendency toward taking what you can get."Once": A perfect little musical love story about a struggling Irish songwriter, this low-budget charmer has the best soundtrack of the year."Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street": This pared-down version of the Broadway musical is so bloody economical that the film achieves an amazing double whammy: It gives you the chills and makes you sing at the same time."Into the Wild": Sean Penn's adaptation of the Jon Krakauer book about a young man (Emile Hirsch) who naively challenges the Alaska wilderness is a taut, superbly told and ferociously filmed adventure.Best actorJohnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd": He's a cut above, no doubt about it.Chris Cooper, "Breach": A clenched and compelling performance as a traitorous FBI officer who shrouds much of himself -- motivations, back story, moral center -- and yet keeps offering intimate glimpses.Don Cheadle, "Talk to Me": An endearing and moving performance from an actor who captures the charisma of a born entertainer.Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood": Among the most chilling personifications of evil ever portrayed on the big screen.
Gadgets Scientists Devise Brighter LEDs via Nano-imprint Lithography
The LED, or Light Emitting Diode, has been around since the late 60's but only over the last few years have LEDs made headway into commercial mainstream use. Some new vehicles now use LED's in headlights and taillights. The benefits of this are brighter light and much improved life span for the bulbs. Some stop lights also use LEDs to combat against the hazard of a stop light burning out. Of more interest to technophiles is the advent of LEDs for use as backlighting in our notebook computers, such as the recently announced Dell Latitude XT tablet PC, and other personal electronic devices. LEDs promise less power consumption in out notebooks thereby increasing battery life. LEDs are also slowly making their way into our flat panel TVs such as the Samsung 31-inch OLED panel DailyTech reported on last week.
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