Halftime Show

I realized today we're about at the midway point of the football offseason (counting both NFC and CFB). I can tell because I'm starting to feel it. I'm totally antsy, and yet it's not anywhere close enough to start getting even remotely excited. So to keep my own nuttiness at bay, I figured I'd delve into some current events.

Supercold Super Bowl

So, after yesterday's NFL Owner's Meeting in our fair city (I'm claiming Irving for the moment, as Carrollton will never host anything cool ever), we now know that the 2014 Super Bowl will be held in the Meadowlands. (Side note: I have GOT to get a job to start funding myself a trip to the Dallas-based Super Bowl). Consequently, fans and pundits alike have been debating the merits of the so-called 'Cold-Weather' Super Bowl. I myself have been slow to form an opinion. I mean, in the past I have been definitively anti-dome and a proponent of teams playing in the elements. That's part of what makes Lambeau Field so special. On the other hand, the Super Bowl is not just a game, it's an event. Part of the appeal of Super Bowl attendance is the destination- warm climates in February equate to a vacation for many. Who wants to go somewhere and sit in the cold and elements, especially when they are paying hundreds of dollars to do so. Not to mention, what will attendees do for other entertainment during their stay? I don't know that the Super Bowl crowd will be interested in broadway shows and high-end shopping trips. I mean, I would, but I am a renaissance woman. Most would rather sit on a warm patio and margaritas- I'm thinking snow pelting you in the face might be a bit of a buzzkill. I understand that there is an inherent novelty about New York, and yet it's hardly new. There are plenty of other attractive events there- putting a Super Bowl there feels incredibly cliche. Give the south its due! Let us have this prestige event! There's nothing quite so charming as being able to lie on the beach in the middle of January. Surrrriously. Also, if they ever move the Superbowl to a foreign location, I will throw the most epic, un-belle-like fit the world has ever known. Don't go there. Literally

Big Bad Big 10

As an obvious Big 12 fan, I find myself a liiiiiiiiiitle bit annoyed with all of the Big 10 expansion talk. And really, what's most frustrating is that it's pretty much all speculative at this point. Many schools, and many Big 12 schools have been thrown into the marketplace of ideas (gossip mill) as candidates to make the move. The posits have ranged from highly plausible (Nebraska and Missouri) to insane (Texas). Can you even imagine? Texas- in the Big 10? I know that I have proven myself averse to change, and I also realize that the conferences (particularly my own) are not even necessarily that longstanding. But here's what I also believe: conferences should remain regional. It makes travel sense. It makes rivalry sense. It just plain makes sense. To throw a Rutgers or a Texas into the Big 12 is just absurd. So in that right, I guess it would logical for Missouri or Nebraska to go. I just don't like the implications of expansion- ie conference restructuring. I like to think the conferences are pretty fairly balanced. And think about the name changes that would be required. New logos? Not in this economy, bub. If they take a new team, I hope it's Notre Dame. The fact that they get to stand outside the bounds of conference-dom is just absurd. I wish I understood more of the motives and implications involved in this whole situation, but I get this main idea: money talks. Boo.

Anyways, I'd love to hear your thoughts on both developments!

Breaking News

PEOPLE! I called it! Jemi is no more. They BROKE UP! That Joe is going to get dating blacklisted pretty soon... despite Demi's denial, the rumor is he broke up with her by phone a la the Taylor Swift breakup. This boy just doesn't know what he wants. He's dated country and rock and roll and kicked them both to the curb faster than T-Swift could write a generic-sounding crossover tune. Of course for Joe and Demi, they have the "better as friends" fallback... they have to- they are going on tour together! Hopefully we can get an angsty song out of this. I'm just sayinnnn you had to know this thing wasn't going to last- and I DID! Feel free to consult me on lotto numbers or Vegas picks, for a nominal fee, of course!

Speaking of breaking, hopefully LiLo has reached a breaking point (in a good way). She now has to wear an ankle bracelet, because she pretty much has to be saved from herself. It's tragic, because she was such a cute young actress circa Parent Trap and Mean Girls, and now she's the definition of a hot mess. I used to think she would just continue to freefall towards an untimely death, but I really think there's a chance for her. Does anyone remember how crazy Drew Barrymore used to be? If the media and paparazzi were as 24/7 as they are today, I think people would have a much different opinion of Drew Barrymore. But she had people looking out for her, and helped her get right. Poor Lindsay has no one (and this is why I worry for Miley down the line-I don't reallly count Billy Ray as a good influence). I think Drew and/or other reformed child stars should reach out to Lindsay and mentor her. So I'm calling it that Lindsay will grow up and we'll see her in like 5 or 10 years making a stellar comeback. Because if there's anything Hollywood loves more than a disaster story, it's a comeback story. I really hope I'm right on this one. So far, my track record is pretty good.

All About Andrews

This post has been a long time coming, but I thought it was time to write about my inspiration. No, breathe easy. I'm not about to talk about Miley. Unless that girl does something shocking like give birth or wear something age appropriate, I'm enforcing a self-imposed Miley moratorium. Anywayyys... In honor of the Dancing with the Stars finale tonight, I'm talkin about my girl Erin Andrews!

She. Is. Awesome. Beautiful, smart, independent, and sports-savvy-- qualities every twenty-something gal aspires to (right? even though she is in her thirties- bust still looks super fabulous)! And she has probably one of the best jobs in the entire world! She gets to be a sideline reporter for tons of great sporting events. She's well-respected because she knows her stuff- she's not just some pretty, dumb bimbo they threw into the sporting world. She is purposeful, driven, and fabulous.

Erin has also been incredibly graceful in the face of drama DRAMA. She has held her head high despite some pervy guy who put video of her on the internet. She is a total class act.

Nowww she's extra fabulous because she's a finalist with the fiiiiine Maksim Chmerkovskiy on Dancing with the Stars! They are so cute because they fight like cats and dogs. He can be an intimidating personality, but her firecracker attitude compliments him perfectly. Her dancing is beautiful, and she is beautiful!

I know what your thinking, gush much? Sorry. I just think it's so cool that a woman can be so fabulous and work in a man's world and still be feminine without objectifying herself. Like I said, inspiring!

And a quick note on another Andrews: Dr. James Andrews. My other hero. Not only has he repaired the shoulder of one Sam Bradford, he has now mended the ankle of the magically timeless Brett Favre! You better believe this thrills me to no end! I love the intensity and youth that Grandpa (literally) Favre plays with, and he makes the game better by being in it. Say what you will about his prior antics, he is a great fit in Minnesota and they have a shot to make another strong run if he plays again. And with Ankle 2.0, it looks like he will. Thank you Dr. Andrews! Maybe we can get him in touch with Heidi Montag. If nothing else, maybe he can give her a cannon arm.

Finally, shout out to Meredith, who also loves Dancing With the Stars, but does not share my uber-admiration for Erin. What-evs. And to Rohit: I will cover your topics soon- thank you for the blogspiration!

Change is Gonna Come

Hello, Blogland, it's been a while. I've got to be honest, I've been lacking blogspiration lately. I've been a little more focused on my transition period from Norman townie to Carrollton townie...ahh the joys of joblessness! I know, though- how selfish, of me, right! Seriously, though, this change is tough for me... Norman has been my home for 5 years and I am going to miss all of the wonderful people in my life who are here tremendously.

But enough about me... I figure I'd take this opportunity to take a look at some other (self-)important ladies and how they are handling transition in their own lives. Please note that all photos are in a before-after format (including my own, above!).

The Good: Ok, I've given Demi Lovato a lot of flak lately, but really the girl is entering that "i'm not a girl/not yet a woman phase" with a lot of grace. She has taken her look from "young emo-ite battling miley/mandy for youtube supremacy (side note: who is leslie and why did mandy get the shaft as BFF in See You Again?)" to "smoldering pop princess who is probably trying to look a little too mature, but in a non-skank way." And really, that's kind of all you can ask of any young Disney star these days. I'm still not buying into the whole Jemi relationship, although you have to admit they are kind of darn cute together. If they are still an item after the Camp Rock 2 premiere and their joint tour stint, I will concede to the point that they are legitly an item. Anyways, Demi's latest foray into the adult world was a guest spot on last week's Grey's Anatomy. She played a patient suspected to be crazy, and she had a good performance. She matured her career the RIGHT way- not with raciness or scandal, but with a more grown up acting role. This was a good way for her to test the water and prepare us all for when she no doubt moves away from her Disney career. Way to go, Demi!

The Bad: I'll give her this: true to her word, she's just bein' Miley. And what Miley seems to be is a B-Spears, Lilo hybrid in-waiting. It's unfortunate, really. Remember when I said not too long ago that she seemed to kind of have her stuff together finally? Man, was that short-lived. I'm really surprised more people aren't appalled by her new video. I can see how it could be considered not that bad compared to the Gaga and Britney videos out there, but the big problem here is the disconnect. She's STILL Hannah Montana! How are young girls supposed to reconcile squeaky clean with skankalicous? Not to mention, the video had a ceremonious premiere on E! and was billed as the next step in the evolution of Miley. The move seemed so calculated and drummed up, that it feels so forced. It's like, "Miley is edgier, and more grown up, and we want you to know that." How stupid are we? It's becoming clearer all the time that she is going down the Britney/Lindsay road, and she has no adult forces stopping her. It's sick, really. And her stupid new song isn't even good. Next.

The Ugly: Heidi Montag Pratt isn't exactly a spring chicken (but I guess if she's not...neither am I- cue: denial!), but why is she so eager to look like a 40-something tranny? This girl is hardly joke-worthy... she is THAT pitiful. At first she, Spencer, and their crazy antics could be chalked up to trying to make 'good' tv... but by getting 10 procedures at one time, she crossed that boundary and did something that pretty much legitly messed her up for life. Her body image is so distorted, she believes her already too large breasts need to be even larger! She literally looks like she is made of plastic... it's disgusting. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone, save her crystal-toting hubbie Spencer, that finds her remotely attractive. It's so sad, because if you look at pictures of the original Heidi, she is a cute girl! Hopefully she will serve as a cautionary tale rather than a model to young girls.

Anywho, I think we've learned a lot here today. Maybe Miley isn't the inspiration we've all (I've) thought her to be. Maybe Jemi is not just a fairytale (read: delusion) out of a Taylor Swift Song. Maybe Heidi's implants have reached maximum capacity, maybe not. Can't wait to find out all these things together, readers. Also, I'm sure neither person remembers this, but I promised shout-outs: Shout out to Rohit and Jay, two of my fabulous Norman peeps! I hope you boys enjoyed reading about teeny boppers and skanks as much as I enjoyed writing about them.

Kids are Good for Something After All, Part Deux

Holy cannoli, I'm starting to think I underestimated the power of kids. Ok, i'm gonna actually go with probably not, which will be proven when the next kid starts crying or puking in public. But anyways, this little girl is totally arrogant and precocious and I would probably not care for her at all if I met her in person, but dangit she is the most fabulous 10 year old I have ever seen!

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Sadly, this child is probably contributing more to society than I am presently. I'll take this moment to go fill out a job app or 50....or maybe go write a letter to Chanel. Peace!