My Open Letter to LeBron James

LeBron James,

Hi buddy, it's me JD. How've you been? We haven't talked in a little while. How's the family? Good I hope. Give them my best.

Things have been pretty crazy here. We had to make some major decisions over the past couple of weeks. We decided to move. That was a big deal. Buying a house can be a big ordeal as we learned first hand. You're lucky you got to build your own dream house. No need to move from that ever, huh? It has everything you want and if you want something else, you can just add it. I'm envious. Don't worry though, we didn't leave Cleveland. Why would we do that?! We moved in to the house a few weeks ago and are getting settled. Once we get the hoop up you can come on over.

See any good movies lately? Have you seen Toy Story 3 yet? Don't see it in public, it might make you cry (seriously, even YOU. you don't want anyone to WITNESS that). Watch it in your home theater. I think you'll like it. What's your favorite character? Mine's Woody. I like what a strong leader he is; willing to stand strong, make the tough decisions, and help inspire all the other toys even when they keep failing. Plus, he has a real strong bond to where he came from and who cares about him. I bet Woody and your Nike puppet would get along great! Anyway, you should check out the movie.

Did you feel that earthquake last week?! That was crazy. I'm glad it wasn't as bad as those quakes in Los Angeles. That can be dangerous. Oh, you'll like this joke I heard: Did you hear about the earthquake in Cleveland? -- What earthquake? I heard it was just Shaq tripping on his sidewalk. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!! I immediately thought of you when I heard that.

Aaaaanyway, any big plans for the 4th weekend? We should get together. If you're busy, that's cool. We should schedule something for August. Will you be around then?

Keep on truckin',
JD

PS. GO TRIBE!! LOL! Read more!

Lifetime Movie Network Highlights for the week of June 28

I cannot honestly say I have ever watched I Lifetime TV movie (no, honestly, never). I do, however, enjoy reading the descriptions of the crazy movies that air on the Lifetime Movie Network as I browse through my cable channel guide. Judging by their title and descriptions ONLY, here are a few of the "best" movies on the Lifetime Movie Network for the week of June 28 - July 4

The Bad Son - Thursday, July 1, 6pm

"An elusive serial killer is terrorizing Seattle, murdering innocent women with the help of - get ready for this one! - his mom! With time slipping by, it's up to a resourceful cop to unlock the mystery of this bizarre duo before it's lights out for their next victim. Based on actual events, this twisted tale will keep you glued to your seat!"

As Good as Dead - Friday, July 3, 10am

"Susan is new in town and grateful to make a friend, Nicole. So when Nicole has a medical emergency, Susan not only rushes her to the hospital, but also switches identities with her so Nicole can use her health insurance to cover the necessary operation. When Nicole dies on the operating table, however, Susan is forced to unravel the mystery of her friend's suspicious death — as well as try to reclaim her own true identity!"

The Perfect Child - Friday, July 3, 12pm

"Sarah Daniels (Rebecca Budig) has thrown her life into her career in public relations and has survived some bad relationships. But when she meets Paul Jacobs (Lochlyn Munroe) through business, it looks like she's met her soul match. Paul has an adorable though shy twelve-year-old daughter, Lily, with whom Sarah seems to connect. But the promising situation turns menacingly bad: crises in Paul's business, Lily's illness, and humiliating circumstances for Sarah. Some evidence seems to lead back to Paul's jealous ex-girlfriend, but when a dark chapter of Sarah's life comes to light, Sarah herself considers her own sanity and possible responsibility. But the real truth won't come to the surface until Lily and Sarah are left alone and almost die in a horrible "accident.""

The Girl Next Door - Friday, July 2, 6pm

"This is Tracey Gold at her finest, as Annie, an impressionable woman who will do anything for her man's love and attention: make dinner, do laundry, commit murder- you know, the usual stuff! See how this bad guy manipulates her into doing his dirty work as this twisted tale of love gone horribly wrong unfolds."

My Stepson, My Lover - Saturday, July 3, 8pm

"With a title like this, do you need any more reason to tune in? If so, here's the lowdown: When a young nurse's marriage starts to fail, she falls into in the arms of her hubby's son. But it's not a secret for long. When dad finds out his kid's sleeping with his wife, a raging jealousy develops between father and child. And one of them won't survive it!"

Wow! So many to choose from? Which are you going to watch. If for some insane reason, you actually do waste your time watching any of these Lifetime movies, write a review in the comments.

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Last Week in Phil Collins News - June 21 - June 25

If you are not following me on Twitter (and if you're not, why not?), then you have been missing out on your daily dose of Phil Collins News. Yes, THAT Phil Collins. In a scientific attempt to see if I can find 1 interesting item about Phil Collins on a daily basis (M-F), I present to you Last Week in Phil Collins News:

• Phil Collins receives an award from the Songwriter's Hall of Fame


• London man, @alxalxalx, spends today listening to all of Phil Collins' solo albums & tweets about it.


• Phil Collins says he doubts he'll ever release another album of original material.


• Collins Uses Gaffer Tape to Hold Drum Sticks to Hand While Recovering From Nerve Damage.


• Classic WWF Video: Phil Collins vs Ultimate Warrior
  
  


• A NY Times Review of Collins' latest concert at the Roseland Ballroom
  

That's all for this week, but stay tuned! As always, if you have a Phil Collins news tip, leave it in the comments below

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The Saddest Rebox - Walgreen's Coupon in the World

As an occasional renter of the Redbox movies, I received this coupon in my email inbox the other day and it made me sad:



Why would Redbox think I'm super excited for this (and I'm not judging you if you actually are). All I could think of while reading this was some lonely spinster receiving this in their inbox and getting excited about a movie night in eating Hot Pockets and Haggen-Dazs and then falling into a food coma half way through "Leap Year." All because of this coupon. Is that what you're trying to sell me, Redbox? Sad, pathetic loneliness, and saving a dollar with a free movie? It leaves nothing but bad associations.

I'm taking a pass on this coupon. Give me a less depressing deal, Redbox, and we will talk. While you're at it, you could start renting out video games any day now. Now that all the local video rental stores are closed down, there is a huge, vacant gap in the video game rental department. Read more!

Adventures in Product Placement: Last Comic Standing

Product placement is everywhere on television these days. Adventures in Product Placement does not set out to point every instance out, just the examples that are so ridiculous and out of place.

Reality television is no stranger to product placement. usually the product integration is done well through segment sponsorship, products offered as a reward in a competition, or as in the case in cooking shows like "Top Chef," integrating the product directly into a competition

'Last Comic Standing' Shoves 'Despicable Me' in our Face

Last night "Last Comic Standing" did none of these things. If you are unfamiliar, this is the reality competition show that uses the "American Idol" template to find the next star stand-up comic. Last night about half way through the New York City auditions episode this happened:

Did you catch that? Was it too subtle for you? As if showing pop-in ads for this movie on the screen twice during the program wasn't enough, the NBC/Universal family decided to completely waste a minute of the program's air time. Next time may I suggest simply putting a movie poster in the background?

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